"The Trailhead" development expects to break ground in north Peoria soon

State of play: The Peoria City Council last year OK'd the long-delayed 45-acre project.

• It'll include market-rate apartments with 336 units, a Safeway with a gas station, restaurants, retail space and a church with a 15,000-square-foot worship space.
• It will include a "meandering corner pathway" that will draw in pedestrians from 83rd and Happy Valley, according to a report the developer, the Pederson Group, submitted to the city.
• Founder and chairman Jim Pederson tells Axios Phoenix there will be a meeting area modeled on the northeast corner of Uptown Plaza in central Phoenix and anchored by a family-friendly restaurant.

Between the lines: The Trailhead has been a long time coming, and it hit some bumps in the road before getting approval.

• The project was originally planned as an upscale shopping center to be built in 2020. One problem the developer faced was putting together a deal with multiple property owners, including the state, the Phoenix Business Journal reported last year.
• Some Peoria residents opposed the project after original plans for 110 single-family homes were scrapped in favor of the apartments, according to the Arizona Republic.

What's next: Pederson tells us they expect to begin construction in a couple of weeks, and the Safeway and most of the shops should be completed in late summer or early fall 2024.

• Safeway wants to be open by back-to-school time next year, he says.
• Construction will likely begin on the apartments around the time the shops open.