When the eyes of the world focus on Super Bowl XLII in Glendale this February, many viewers will ask, “Is this city worthy of hosting a Super Bowl?”
Many people in Arizona will be asking the same thing. For those who have lived in the Valley awhile, the perception of Glendale has been that it is nothing more than a small Phoenix suburb, similar to Gilbert or Ahwatukee.
The truth, however, is that Glendale is indeed a city on the rise, and it is fast becoming a city worthy of the world-stage. In fact, Glendale has become one of the state’s fastest growing cities. The city’s population has grown steadily from 147,864 in 1990 to 252,648 this year, according to federal and city statistics. Development of the Westgate City Center and University of Phoenix Stadium are expected to drive the figure toward 280,000 by 2012.
Slow beginning, rapid rise
The reason Glendale struggled to develop in earlier decades was because of a lack of roads that led from central Phoenix to Glendale. That made it very difficult for corporations to develop offices in the city. In 1981, however, Sperry Corp. (now called Honeywell) built its corporate headquarters there. This opened up the floodgates for other businesses, which in turn helped the economy flourish and increased the need for a freeway that ran towards the West Valley.
In 1995 Glendale was finally introduced to the rest of the city when the Loop 101 freeway was built. By 1997 the freeway opened between 35th and 75th avenues. The interchange with Interstate 17 was completed. By the following year, the freeway linked with Interstate 10 from Los Angeles, opening up Glendale to people from all sides in 2002.
One Glendale resident remembers growing up in the city amidst all the new developments. Alex Oswald, 20, recalls his high school days in Glendale as dull. He and his friends would have to drive out towards Phoenix to find things to do on a Saturday night.
“Everything's definitely different and has changed so much so fast,” Oswald says. “Now all of a sudden Glendale's cool. How did that happen?”
Sports put Glendale on the fast track in development. In 2000, Maricopa County voters approved a plan for a new stadium for the Arizona Cardinals. Eventually, Glendale was chosen as the site. In 2006 the $455 million University of Phoenix stadium opened, and it is now widely considered to be a prototype for modern stadiums. The stadium’s 65,000-seat capacity but will be modified to accommodate 75,000 people for the Super Bowl XLII.
“It's great that the Cardinals finally have a home, and for the new field to be worthy to host a Super Bowl really says something about our town,” Oswald says.
Even before its opening, the stadium had a reputation with Business Week magazine naming it “A Top 10 Sporting Venue in the World” in 2005. The main reason for the stadium’s recognition as a top venue has to do with its unique, state-of-the-art design.
University of Phoenix Stadium is the first stadium in North America to feature a grass field that rolls out of the stadium. The purpose of this feature is two-fold: First, it allows the field to remain outside in the sun on non-game-days to keep the grass healthy. Second, it allows the stadium floor to be used for various events other than sports, such as job fairs and conventions.
Another signature of the stadium is its translucent “bird-air” fabric roof, which gives the stadium an open-air feeling even when it’s two retractable panels are closed.
Sports center sprawls
It is the Phoenix Coyotes, however, who catapulted Glendale’s sports mecca development into motion. After spending their first few seasons in Phoenix playing at America West Arena in Downtown, the Coyotes decided they needed an arena to call their own. Their owner at the time, real estate mogul Steve Ellman saw the potential of the West Valley as a sprawling city center that would set Glendale apart from other cities.
His capstone project is Westgate City Center. Its hub is Jobing.com Arena, a 17,799-seat multipurpose space that is now home to the NHL’s Phoenix Coyotes as well as the NLL’s Arizona Sting and a 320-room Renaissance Hotel with 80,000 square feet of convention space.
Phase I of the Westgate City Center, which features 500,000 square feet of retail and office space, a 20-screen movie theater and a shopping mall opened in November 2006.
The development is not just a sports arena complex full of restaurants and bars. It is also a state-of-the-art business complex and mall. In essence, Westgate’s aim is to combine sports, entertainment, business and home in one centralized location.
In addition to recreational space, Westgate also is home to Zanjero, a development that boasts upscale living quarters in addition to retail offerings and office space. The total cost of the development upon completion is expected to be $850 million.
The city paid for the arena and Ellman is paying for the Westgate project, says city spokeswoman Jennifer Liewer.
“The city is paying for the arena through bonds. Ellman then built Westgate and its adjacent facilities. Tax money generated is used to pay off the bonds,” Liewer said. “The average citizen, if they’re not purchasing something at those sites, they’re not paying for the arena.”
