Chandler’s latest – and tallest – crown jewel is complete and open for business.
And with it goes any reminder of the eyesore that it replaced.
Workers put the finishing touches on the Chandler Viridian development with this week’s grand opening of the six-story Offices at Chandler Viridian tower.
The tallest multi-tenant office building in the city was the final piece of the complex that sits northwest of the Loop 101 and 202 interchange.
The $160-million project signals a new era for Chandler on the spot of the failed Elevation Chandler development near the Chandler Fashion Center.
At the time of its groundbreaking last year, Chandler City Councilmember Terry Roe called the plans “completely transforming a key area of our city.”
Chandler city officials were among the dignitaries at Tuesday’s grand opening at 3133 W. Frye Road.
The Class A office building was recently completed after more than a year of work. The first tenants of the 250,000-square-foot building began moving in two months ago with more to come.
Global engineering firm Stantec plans to combine four regional offices in the Chandler building, taking up the entire third floor. That would bring together more than 250 specialists in mining, water, transportation, community development, environmental and building consulting services.
Workuity will occupy 20,000 square feet, giving the Phoenix-based co-working space its second building in the Valley.
Other tenants haven’t been announced publicly yet, but officials say the companies are in the financial, banking and technology fields.
The new office tower features energy-efficient glass that allows natural light into the building. It also includes 10-foot tall ceilings, a tenant lounge on the ground floor and a large public plaza. For parking convenience, a three-story garage is also ready to go.
Hines, the firm that co-developed the site, was so excited to show off its new building during the grand opening that it brought in its new corporate hot air balloon to give some people a chance to see a view of Chandler’s growth from above.
The international real estate firm bought the property in the city’s Price Road Corridor in October 2014 for about $20 million. It immediately tore down what was built of Elevation Chandler – an uncompleted hotel and residential development that stalled in 2006 before the Great Recession – to make room for the Viridian mixed-use project.
The office tower is the final phase of a development that’s already been open for business. Those already up and running include:
• A 138-room Cambria Hotel with a pool, bar and lounge, and conference center that opened in April.
• The Broadstone Fashion Center, a high-end apartment complex with 335 units and a pool, clubhouse and fitness center.
• Nearly 9,000 square feet of restaurant space.
Restaurants include Panera Bread and The Sicilian Butcher, which opened stand-alone retail spaces, known as Chandler Viridian Primegate, on the property’s northern end in 2017.
Another unnamed restaurant and a service-oriented business are planned on the northeast corner of the property. Construction on the 15,000-square-foot building is slated to begin early this year and finish by the summer.
The development also features a pedestrian promenade, a plaza connecting the office building, hotel and restaurants, a wellness trail and even a dog park.
Officials say the office building is expected to bring between 1,250 and 1,500 jobs to Chandler.
“We’ve got a couple more big announcements soon that will continue driving additional employment opportunities,” said Micah Miranda, Chandler’s economic development director.