GILBERT, AZ — For years, Gilbert’s Heritage District has been known as a destination where people come to eat and hang out. Now, town leaders are working to turn the area into a place where people live, work, and build community.
On any given day, the sidewalks in the Heritage District are packed. Mesa resident Cassandra Corral said she notices the appeal.
"Mesa doesn't have anything but maybe moving to Gilbert for me one day and be able to actually live in walking distance of new restaurants, retail," Corral said.
That energy is showing up in the town's numbers. Town leaders say, since 2018, Gilbert has added more than 33,000 square feet of new office space and 44,000 square feet of retail. Sales tax revenue in the district is up 92 percent.
Liberty Market owner David Traina has witnessed the transformation firsthand.
"Over the last 16 years, the growth has been amazing. You can hear the traffic behind me, and in 2008, that didn't exist. You could sit out in the middle of the intersection at times, and you know, have a nice cup of coffee," Traina said.
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The development pipeline keeps building. Town leaders say that more than 86,000 square feet of retail is currently in development, along with over 400 new housing units expected within the year. Town leaders say the district already draws more than 5.5 million visits annually.
"I mean, when something is as great as this, it attracts a lot of people, and the people attract good people," Traina said.
As the district grows, some longtime voices say what makes it special cannot be replicated.
"In the beginning, we had the water tower and just that park, and now we have a lot more parking structures. There are plans for just more of like a town center and the hotel kind of property up the street. All the growth, you know, seems very good to me," Traina said.
More information on the Heritage District can be found here.
