Weingarten Starts Retail Center

PHOENIX-Weingarten Realty Investors has started construction of a 94,000-sf retail center in the rapidly growing suburb of Gilbert.The Houston-based REIT purchased 26 acres at the northwest corner of Val Vista and Warner roads and is under way on a neighborhood retail center. The center will be anchored by a PETCO, Staples and Ross, along with another 26,000 sf of retail space.The fast-track construction is scheduled for completion by year-end. Phoenix-based Summit Builders will serve as the general contractor on the project.Gilbert has been among the fastest growing suburbs in the Valley: Through the late 1990s, the community’s population grew at an annual rate of about 80%. It now has more than 107,000 residents.