Chamber
members tour Stagecoach Village
Development
could house winery, day spa
by
Brian DiTullio
CAVE
CREEK – It’s all systems go for Stagecoach Village as
Carefree/Cave Creek Chamber of
Commerce members got a walk‑through of the town’s
newest attraction.
Workers
are finishing construction on several buildings, but the
office space is practically done and could open before
the end of the year. Retail and restaurant space, however,
won’t open before
the first quarter of 2008, according to Barbaray McKenny
of RBI, the brokerage company responsible for placing
stores in the mixed‑use development.
Jim
Hayden, president of RBI, spoke to the chamber members
as part of a guided tour through the project.
“I
want to make this a destination location,” said Hayden.
“I remember going to The Horny Toad as a kid and the energy
there. That’s what I want here.”
Continuing,
Hayden espoused a lot of enthusiasm over the project and
spoke of his vision for the kinds of shops and restaurants
Desert Foothills residents should expect to see.
“Everybody
I know in Arizona goes to California to go to the beach.
Well, you can’t do that here, but we also go to California
to go to Napa Valley for the wines. Instead of going to
California,
we’re going to bring that here,” he said.
Hayden
described being hooked up with a well‑known vineyard
through a series of family and friends, and that he’s
talked to about 80 wineries so far. He’s hoping to get
a recognizable wine name to open a satellite
location
at Stagecoach Village where events such as wine tastings
could be held.
In
addition to a wine store, McKenney related they hope to
place a pet store, day spa, upscale restaurants, including
a French restaurant, a high‑end jean company, an
olive oil store and maybe even a microbrewery.
“This
is such a centrally located place, we hope to have several
restaurants,” said McKenney.
Cave
Creek Councilwoman Kim Brennan attended the tour, and
asked about a grocery store or movie theater for the development.
Hayden
replied none of the spaces are large enough for either
option, but a small grocer is a possibility, as is a dinner
theater.
“Those
are a lot of fun; people really enjoy those,” Hayden said
about the dinner theater concept.
