Estrella Falls

Estrella Falls is a planned regional shopping mall and mixed-use complex in Goodyear, Arizona, approximately 20 miles west of downtown Phoenix. The project was conceived as a large-scale retail, entertainment, residential, hotel, office, and civic destination on land north of McDowell Road between Bullard Avenue and Pebble Creek Parkway. It was initially proposed to the city in 2005 by Westcor, a shopping-center development subsidiary of Macerich, and a development agreement followed in 2006. The original concept contained two principal elements. The first was The Market at Estrella Falls, a retail power center planned for approximately 40 acres. The second was a much larger regional center combining an open-air mall of up to roughly 950,000 square feet with residential, hotel, and office uses. Early plans anticipated the retail component opening in 2008 and the broader regional center in fall 2009. The development agreement required completion by the end of 2012 and included prospective commitments from major department-store operators Dillard's and Macy's, in addition to a Harkins Theatres multiplex. The late-2000s recession substantially disrupted the schedule. Groundbreaking for the larger mall was deferred, and its projected opening moved repeatedly: first to fall 2010, then to 2011, and eventually to 2016. Goodyear later extended the development deadline through the end of 2016. Although the full regional mall concept did not proceed as originally envisioned, individual components of the planned site opened over time. The Market at Estrella Falls began operating in 2008, while Harkins Theatres opened Harkins Estrella Falls 16 in October 2016. Ownership of The Market at Estrella Falls changed in 2018, when Robert L. Stark's Stark Enterprises acquired the retail property from Macerich. The wider Estrella Falls site was subsequently associated with a civic and mixed-use redevelopment concept rather than only a conventional enclosed or open-air shopping mall. In 2019, Goodyear approved a public-private development agreement with Globe Corporation for the Goodyear Civic Square at Estrella Falls. The proposed civic project included a new city hall, library, offices, parking, housing, and a two-acre park. Its first phase was planned for the area between The Market at Estrella Falls and Harkins Estrella Falls 16, with construction expected to start in 2021 and opening projected for 2022. Estrella Falls is therefore best understood as a development identity and destination brand rather than a single operating retailer. Its realized footprint consists of retail and cinema uses, while later plans broadened the site toward public administration, office, residential, parking, and park functions. The available reference material does not establish whether the complete civic-square plan or the original regional mall proposal was ultimately completed, nor does it identify a current official website or a single present-day corporate owner for the overall development.

Estrella Falls emerged from Goodyear's efforts to establish a major commercial destination in the rapidly developing western Phoenix metropolitan area. Westcor, then a Macerich subsidiary focused on shopping-center development, presented the project to the city in 2005. A development agreement was signed in 2006 for a site north of McDowell Road, between Bullard Avenue and Pebble Creek Parkway. The initial plan was substantially larger than the operating properties now associated with the name. It envisioned The Market at Estrella Falls as an early retail component, followed by a regional open-air mall of up to approximately 950,000 square feet. Residential, hotel, and office uses were also included, creating a mixed-use destination rather than a standalone shopping center. The plans anticipated Dillard's and Macy's department stores and a Harkins Theatres location. Under the development agreement, the broader project was expected to be completed by the end of 2012. The development schedule deteriorated during the recession of the late 2000s. Construction of the larger mall was deferred, and its anticipated opening was revised several times. A target of fall 2010 was later moved to 2011 and then to 2016. Goodyear extended the completion deadline to the end of 2016, while Westcor also obtained an extension related to another proposed shopping-center project in Surprise, Arizona. These changes reflected the difficulty of financing and launching a large regional retail development during a period of weak consumer spending and constrained real-estate credit. The first completed element was The Market at Estrella Falls, a roughly 40-acre retail power center that opened in 2008. The larger regional mall, however, did not materialize according to the original timetable. In October 2016, Harkins Theatres opened Harkins Estrella Falls 16, a multiplex that had originally been conceived as part of the broader mall development. The cinema became a separate operating anchor on the site. In 2018, Stark Enterprises, associated with Robert L. Stark, acquired The Market at Estrella Falls from Macerich. This transaction changed the ownership of the completed retail component, although the available material does not identify a single owner for the entire Estrella Falls development identity. The site's later direction expanded beyond the original retail concept. In 2019, Goodyear approved a new public-private development agreement with Globe Corporation for the Goodyear Civic Square at Estrella Falls. The proposal included a city hall, library, office space, housing, a parking garage, and a two-acre park. The first of two planned phases was to be located between The Market at Estrella Falls and Harkins Estrella Falls 16, with construction expected to begin in 2021 and opening anticipated in 2022. The civic-square plan was intended to replace Goodyear's temporary city hall and represented a shift toward a civic and mixed-use center. The reference material does not confirm the ultimate completion of the proposed civic square, the status of the original regional mall, or the current operating structure of the overall site. Estrella Falls is consequently documented as a partially realized planned development whose active components include a retail power center and multiplex cinema, with later civic and mixed-use plans associated with the same location.

• 2019

  Civic-square plan receives city approval

  [1]Estrella Fallsen.wikipedia.org

  Goodyear approved a public-private agreement with Globe Corporation for a civic and mixed-use development at Estrella Falls.

• 2018

  Retail component changes ownership

  [1]Estrella Fallsen.wikipedia.org

  Stark Enterprises acquired The Market at Estrella Falls from Macerich.

• 2016

  Harkins Estrella Falls 16 opens

  [1]Estrella Fallsen.wikipedia.org

  Harkins Theatres opened the 16-screen multiplex in October.

• 2008

  The Market at Estrella Falls opens

  [1]Estrella Fallsen.wikipedia.org

  The project's first retail segment began operating on a 40-acre site.

• 2006

  Development agreement is signed

  [1]Estrella Fallsen.wikipedia.org

  Goodyear and the project developer formalized an agreement covering the planned retail and mixed-use center.

• 2005

  Estrella Falls is proposed

  [1]Estrella Fallsen.wikipedia.org

  Westcor presented the planned regional shopping and mixed-use development to the city of Goodyear.

A planned west-valley Phoenix-area destination combining regional retail, entertainment, mixed-use development, and civic facilities.

• Retail power center · 2008

  The Market at Estrella Falls

  The Market at Estrella Falls is the first completed portion of the planned development. It is a retail power center occupying approximately 40 acres and opened in 2008. Although conceived within the larger Estrella Falls regional-center plan, it operates as a distinct retail component. Stark Enterprises acquired the property from Macerich in 2018.

• Multiplex cinema · 2016

  Harkins Estrella Falls 16

  Harkins Estrella Falls 16 is a 16-screen cinema opened by Harkins Theatres in October 2016. The theater was originally planned as part of the broader regional mall but opened as a completed entertainment facility while the full mall concept remained unrealized in its original form.

• Civic and mixed-use development

  Goodyear Civic Square at Estrella Falls

  Goodyear Civic Square at Estrella Falls was a proposed civic and mixed-use project covered by a 2019 public-private agreement with Globe Corporation. Planned elements included a new city hall, library, offices, housing, a parking garage, and a two-acre park. The available reference does not confirm whether the proposal was completed.

• 2019

  The site is repositioned toward a civic and mixed-use centerStrategy

  Background

  The original regional shopping-mall concept had been delayed, while Goodyear sought a permanent civic center and additional mixed-use development.

  Action taken

  Goodyear approved a public-private agreement with Globe Corporation for Goodyear Civic Square at Estrella Falls, including civic, office, residential, parking, and park uses.

  Aftermath

  The proposal broadened the site's intended role beyond retail and entertainment, but the available source does not verify final construction or opening.

  Source

• 2009

  Regional mall schedule is repeatedly deferredStrategy

  Background

  The late-2000s recession disrupted financing and construction plans for the larger Estrella Falls regional center.

  Action taken

  The projected opening was moved from fall 2010 to 2011 and later to 2016, while Goodyear extended the development deadline through the end of 2016.

  Aftermath

  The retail power center and cinema opened, but the broader regional mall was not completed according to the original plan described in the reference material.

  Source

1. 1Estrella Fallsen.wikipedia.org