A major new development, known as The Landing, could add up to 8,000 new residential rental units, housing an estimated 24,000 people, as part of an ambitious plan to transform 2,000 acres of state trust and private land near Verrado Way into a vibrant, commercial, recreational, and residential destination, according to speakers at a Buckeye public meeting yesterday.
Due to water shortages and a 2023 moratorium on issuing 100‑year groundwater assurances for new subdivisions in Buckeye, developers and municipal officials can currently only plan to build built‑to‑rent homes.
Built-to-rent properties can not be bought by residents, essentially bypassing homebuilding constraints and making them one of the few types of housing currently permissible under state water rules, according to sources at the meeting.
The city anticipates possible growth in The Landing's area of development, despite water limitations and concerns about scarcity.
"The top-end prediction for how many humans can live here. It’s somewhere around 8,000 residential units," a Buckeye official said yesterday. "There are about three people per house that’s built. So that’s about 24,000 people, and some change.”
Consultants and city officials described The Landing as a future “urban placemaking” district with walkable neighborhoods, a lively core of shops and restaurants, and a large recreational hub to draw visitors from across the region.
“Verrado [Way] is really a spine that runs through this whole area. Early on in the process, we had the public help us to find a vision for this area,” said Ed Boik, a consultant with HR Green. “The landing is a dynamic and pedestrian-friendly center and enriches the local economy, provides diverse, superior housing choices, and offers entertainment and recreational activities.”
Around the vibrant downtown core, the plan calls for a gradual transition: mid-rise, mixed-use buildings will give way to townhomes, duplexes and cottages, and ultimately single-family homes on the edges — creating a density gradient that balances vibrant urban living with neighborhood compatibility, according to the city's paid consultant. This layered residential approach supports diverse housing options while preserving the character of adjacent communities, Boik said.
Three distinct districts
The draft plan divides The Landing into three distinct areas:
- A mixed-use core with mid-rise apartments, local dining, nightlife and public gathering spaces.
- A campus district planned for jobs, offices, research or education near a future Dean Road interchange.
- A recreation district that could transform a flood control basin into tournament-level sports fields, trails or other amenities, similar to Phoenix’s Reach 11.
"Taking the road away and splitting it around one way north, one way south, around it. It's not new," Boik said. "It's been done in the valley several times to great success, like downtown Scottsdale.
Flexibility and Predictability
The Landing plan will serve as a “specific area plan” under Arizona law, giving Buckeye detailed design and land-use policies to guide future developers. Much of the land is controlled by the Arizona State Land Department, which will auction parcels to benefit public schools.
Officials say the plan strikes a balance, offering developers flexibility while ensuring that new neighborhoods respect the surrounding communities, such as Sundance and Blue Horizons.
Next Steps
Residents raised questions about traffic, neighborhood buffers, and the timeline at the meeting this week. City engineers said detailed traffic studies and signal improvements are already underway to address growth, including the planned Dean Road interchange that will connect directly to I-10.
During the meeting, several residents voiced worries about cut-through traffic spilling into neighborhoods like Sundance and Blue Horizons, especially if new connectors aren’t carefully planned. Others questioned whether the planned Verrado Way couplet and Dean Road interchange would truly ease congestion or just shift it to other local streets. City engineers acknowledged the concerns and said detailed traffic studies and phased road improvements are already underway to help manage the increased flow.
To the south, large dairy farms could eventually make way for new development as landowners weigh future rezoning and sales. City officials said some major dairy operators have already expressed interest in voluntarily “cashing in” and selling, to accommodate Buckeye’s long-term growth.
Parts of The Landing could break ground within five to ten years, but full build-out could take a decade or longer, depending on market demand and state land sales. Water and build policies could transition to rental-only regulations with gubernatorial elections coming soon.
A full draft plan will be released later this year for further public review before being presented to the Planning & Zoning Commission and City Council for final approval.
More information will be posted on the city’s website in the next week.
Michael McDaniel can be reached at [email protected]. We invite our readers to submit their civil comments or opinions on this or any issue. Email [email protected].
One Response
First off, our infrastructure cannot support the current amount of growth in all the housing built and the additional trucks going to the various warehouses. It’s currently gridlock on every street Camelback, Indian School, and I-10 freeway is almost impossible to drive on even at 1:00 in the afternoon. The congestion has increased to a point where you can’t move around the city, even Goodyear. The streets named above, you go from the 303 towards Perryville etc., takes 30 minutes to drive one mile. Costco and the Markert Place currently under construction is going to cripple Verrado way. Now let’s be realistic about WATER, it’s impossible for Arizona to sustain this amount of growth.