Located at the northeast corner of Daisy Mountain Drive and Gavilan Peak Parkway, Main Street at Anthem will stand at one of the gateways to the Anthem community– the new one, which Gardner anticipates will be used by 80 to 90 percent of Anthem residents as they travel between Phoenix and Anthem. Calling it a well‑positioned shopping center, he noted it will occupy the only grocery opportunity at the intersection.

Nearly 14 acres, the grocery opportunity was a little bit of a stretch for the property. Or, more accurately, it was a crunch, as the property is a little smaller than the norm for this type of project, according to Gardner. Plus it is not a true square or rectangle as the property line wanders somewhat at the back. The Barclay Group accommodated both the site and the ambience by designing the shopping center as seven independent buildings.

“It’s cheaper to build one building,” said Gardner, explaining there are fewer end walls with one long building, even if that building has several interior walls that break the space into smaller units. But Barclay went with the more expensive choice–multiple buildings–to give the shopping center more of what Gardner calls “a comfy feel,” more like a village than a single, big block of stores would create.

The view at the corner sets the tone: two buildings, each with four shops, symmetrically flanking a wide fountain at the top of the corner, with restaurants and patio space. Arches, canopies and stone columns contribute to the upscale design. An additional visual aesthetic is provided by the variation in building height, with towers and different roof pitches.

Anchored by a Fry’s market– Fry’s Signature, an upscale concept of which this will be the second in Arizona–the buildings at the rear of the site will be connected by a meandering sidewalk. The design motif of stone, towers and other changes in exterior elevation will continue among these buildings.

Colored and scored concrete and formed asphalt will accent the parking lot surface. This will not only serve to dress up the shopping center, but will assist in traffic control: “It’s not your typical parking lot [surface], so it naturally slows traffic,” explained Gardner. The same surface will be used in pedestrian areas as well as at the entrances. The parking lot will cover the front of the project, and Gardner noted, “We intend to over‑landscape, compared to typical shopping centers.”

Entrances will be off Daisy Mountain Drive and Gavilan Peak Parkway, as well as off the side street bordering the property on the east. A bank occupies the pad adjacent to one entrance.

Other businesses will provide for area residents’ daily uses, as is typical of grocery‑anchored shopping centers, but Gardner noted there will be a variety of unique stores as well. These include, so far, a jewelry store and a dessert shop. Barclay Group is particularly looking for one‑of‑a‑kind businesses, rather than chains, according to Gardner. In fact, he related the Barclay Group has been approached by national fast‑food enterprises regarding the stand‑alone pad on Daisy Mountain Drive, but the firm has turned them down.

“It’s the quickest and easiest profit, but it’s not what we’re trying to do,” Gardner explained. Barclay Group’s goal is a more customized feel and a more neighborhood atmosphere for the center, and they have turned their attention to including a sit‑down restaurant in the shopping center.

One‑hundred‑thirty‑one‑thousand square feet of retail in all, Main Street at Anthem offers store space in individual units from 900 to 5,400 square feet; the stand‑alone pad can be built to 6,000 square feet. Ground broke on the project this past May, and Barclay Group expects to deliver spaces to tenants next month. The anticipated opening for Fry’s is the end of this year.

Leasing information is available through Jim Gardner at the Barclay Group by calling (480) 596‑9399.