This post is part of our series on local business and news. We aim to keep you updated on local trends so you can stay current with your clients.
If you’re in search of fine dining, luxury resorts, shopping and gambling, you don’t have to go very far. The Talking Stick Entertainment District, located in the heart of Scottsdale, is making a name for itself as an entertainment hub and travel destination.
It started with a glittering casino that seemed to pop out of nowhere along the east side of Loop 101 and Via de Ventura. Talking Stick Resort opened in 2010 with nearly 100,000 square feet of gaming, a golf course and 15 stories of hotel rooms. Salt River Fields followed a year later, providing a new off-season home for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies. This marked the first time an MLB training facility had been built on Native American land (Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, also known as SRPMIC).
With the economic downturn that would soon hit, the land around Talking Stick saw little development until 2014, when Top Golf opened its 60,000-square foot venue. Soon after came OdySea Aquarium, and the growth hasn’t stopped for a moment since, with more restaurants and retail shops being added. Next on the horizon is Great Wolf Lodge Arizona, a massive indoor water park and 350-room resort, and The Block at Pima Center, a 232-acre mixed-use space that will include a Hilton Hotel.
Another clear sign of the bright economic future for this area is the high demand for office space. It’s even caught the attention of large corporations looking to expand or relocate. Most notable is the McKesson Corporation’s 271,000-square-foot regional headquarters that is expected to bring 2,200 jobs to the Valley over the next few years.
With hundreds of undeveloped acres still available, it will be exciting to see what comes next!
