


December 13, 2009
December 12, 2009 | PEORIA, AZ – Festival of Cheer brought Surprise Mayor Lyn Truitt and president and CEO of Interfaith Community Care, Michelle Dionisio (left) to a table full of delicious sample foods provided by two new restaurants introducing themselves to the West Valley. Among many vendors who supported the event were 5 & Diner Delux and Hurricane Grill & Wings, both located at the Bell Mar Plaza, NE corner of 114th Ave and Bell Road.
Festival of Cheer, sponsored by the City of Peoria at the Peoria Sports Complex, was an event designed to raise funds for Interfaith Community Care and planners hope to make this an annual holiday event. Officials estimated over 2,000 attendees enjoyed freshly-laid snow “mountains,” photos with Santa, inflatable bouncing features, free food, and musical entertainment on the main stage. Organizer and Chairperson for the event, Elizabeth Lowe of Wells Fargo Advisors, was front and center throughout the event as she supervised snow-making, shook hands with visitors, and thanked vendors for their support.
Interfaith Community Care, a non-profit corporation, recently opened their Wirtzie’s Child Development Center, an intergenerational program, which provides an environment where children and seniors come together to grow, learn about themselves, and form relationships that can be life changing. For more information about Interfaith’s Wirtzie’s Child Development Center, visit: InterfaithCommunityCare.org or call 623-584-4999. For more information about 5 & Diner Delux and Hurricane Grill, visit: BellMarPlaza.com.
Cecilia Chan, The Republic/azcentral.com, cecilia.chan@arizonarepublic.com
Bell Mar Plaza, a mixed-use project with office, retail and restaurant on 11340 W. Bell Road, is looking for more tenants.
The developer is offering its own stimulus package, with leases starting at $14 a square foot for some suites, said Beatrice Kabab, leasing agent. Kabab said the going rate is $22 and up per square foot for new construction in the West Valley. For leasing information and to learn about other incentivew, call 480-947-0080 or visit www.bellmarplaza.com.
Cecilia Chan, The Republic/azcentral.com, cecilia.chan@arizonarepublic.com
A plaza offering services, shopping and food will open in Surprise today with four eateries, but filing the three-building complex with businesses may take months.
Bell Mar Plaza, sporting the bright colors of a crayon box and featuring a fountain with water and laser-light shows, sits on Bell Road along the eastern gateway into Surprise. The 72,00 square-foot neighborhood plaza is slightly bigger than a football field.
Surprise Economic Development Director John Hagen said the distinctive looking, mixed-use plaza is in a strong location to capture foot traffic from the more than 75,000 potorists who drive by daily.
Hagen also called the opening good news given the economic downturn. "It shows that Suirprise has economic staying power and continues to experience new growth and attract new businesses."
Kabab said she is pursuing services such as medical, dental, physical therapy and psychiatry offices for the plaza. "The reason I'm focusing my attentionon that industry is because I feel they are strong in this economy, and I feel there is such a need for them to be out here," she said.
Kabab said she als is looking at insurance, travel and child-care services. She wants to bring in retail boutiques rather than large chain stores.
The plaza also is looking at add music to its venue with a jazz group performing Sundays for the first five weeks, according to leasing agent Jacee Carosella. "We could love to get other groups coming in," Carosella said "Eventually we will do a little farmers market in the future. We would love to create a destination area for people to come to."
Kabab said it's unknown how many tenants will eventually call the plaza home. The complex is known as a gray shell project, where the interior space is configured based on a tenant's needs.
Esterra Development, a commercial real estate company, has been working with Surprise on the project since 2006. The company built the plaza in 18 months. Kabab declined to provide the cost of the project.