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Cabela's set to put store in Glendale
Outdoorsy megacenter near arena
Pat Flannery and Louie Villalobos
The Arizona Republic
Jun. 4, 2005 12:00 AM
Cabela's, an outdoor outfitter whose megastores offer a carnival-like atmosphere of wildlife displays, walk-through aquariums and acres of sporting goods, has set its sights on Glendale's sports and entertainment complex for a new home.
If the company starts construction this summer, as city officials and developers expect, a $40 million store near Glendale Arena would open by September 2006, with forecasts calling for 4 million visitors from throughout the Southwest in its first year.
For an outdoor enthusiast, this is bigger than when Ikea came to town for people who enjoy furniture," Bob Miles, Arizona Game and Fish Department public information chief, said Friday.
Cabela's is like the hunting, fishing and camping set's Disneyland, with stores big enough to accommodate stuffed elephants. City Manager Ed Beasley described the experience as "more than just a store."
The City Council will discuss the deal during a Tuesday workshop session. Glendale would put up $16.7 million in infrastructure and amenity costs.
Mesa voters recently approved $84 million in incentives for the Riverview retail complex, which will be anchored by a rival sporting-goods megastore, Bass Pro Shops.
Besides a vast stock of merchandise, the Glendale Cabela's outlet would include numerous displays of stuffed wildlife in action poses, including a 40-foot "conservation mountain" with such beasts as mountain goats, wolves and bears interacting with each other.
The Cabela's outlet in Kansas City, Kan., for example, features lions chasing zebras and a herd of wildebeests leaping across a river, with one being dragged down by a huge crocodile.
The Glendale store, which would be the chain's 13th, would sport 165,000 square feet of retail space, a restaurant, and exhibits catering to schoolchildren. More than 25,000 students go through Cabela's exhibits on school tours each year.
Negotiations are nearly complete to land the store at Zanjero, a 150-acre development directly across Glendale Avenue from the arena and Westgate City Center. Also coming to Zanjero by late next year as part of the deal is a 145-suite Embassy Suites hotel.
Glendale Mayor Elaine Scruggs touted the effort as one that would bring significant jobs and money to the area. City officials also hope it will kick off a development boom in the area north of Cardinals Stadium. Lagging retail development at Westgate might jump-start if Cabela's breaks ground across the street.
"That is absolutely critical," Scruggs said Friday. "We all know the development is coming. Many times, it takes someone to be the leader and everything just falls into line afterward."
Cabela's officials could not be reached for comment Friday.
Glendale also announced that it was in negotiations with Salt River Project to divert water from the Grand Canal to create a whitewater-kayaking course a few blocks south of Cabela's on parkland just south of Cardinals Stadium.
The Cabela's deal requires an investment of up to $16.7 million by the city, a maximum of $6.7 million for site roads and up to $10 million for store elements considered public amenities. Those include an in-store museum, the huge aquarium and the conservation mountain, all of which the city will own, Deputy City Manager Art Lynch said.
In return, the city expects to draw $1.5 million in direct annual sales taxes and has a commitment from the site's owner and developer, to develop another 400,000 square feet of retail over the next four years. Cabela's will buy the land for $8 million.
Nick Wood, an attorney representing landowner Citation Land LLC, said the store and hotel would be a catalyst for other Zanjero projects. Two apartment complexes and office condominiums are in the works.
The exact location on the site of the four-star Embassy Suites is still unclear, Wood said.
Cabela's, in business since 1961, had nearly $1.6 billion in sales last year, two-thirds through catalog and Internet sales. It expects 30 to 40 percent of its local store business to come from out-of-state visitors
Outdoorsy megacenter near arena
Pat Flannery and Louie Villalobos
The Arizona Republic
Jun. 4, 2005 12:00 AM
Cabela's, an outdoor outfitter whose megastores offer a carnival-like atmosphere of wildlife displays, walk-through aquariums and acres of sporting goods, has set its sights on Glendale's sports and entertainment complex for a new home.
If the company starts construction this summer, as city officials and developers expect, a $40 million store near Glendale Arena would open by September 2006, with forecasts calling for 4 million visitors from throughout the Southwest in its first year.
For an outdoor enthusiast, this is bigger than when Ikea came to town for people who enjoy furniture," Bob Miles, Arizona Game and Fish Department public information chief, said Friday.
Cabela's is like the hunting, fishing and camping set's Disneyland, with stores big enough to accommodate stuffed elephants. City Manager Ed Beasley described the experience as "more than just a store."
The City Council will discuss the deal during a Tuesday workshop session. Glendale would put up $16.7 million in infrastructure and amenity costs.
Mesa voters recently approved $84 million in incentives for the Riverview retail complex, which will be anchored by a rival sporting-goods megastore, Bass Pro Shops.
Besides a vast stock of merchandise, the Glendale Cabela's outlet would include numerous displays of stuffed wildlife in action poses, including a 40-foot "conservation mountain" with such beasts as mountain goats, wolves and bears interacting with each other.
The Cabela's outlet in Kansas City, Kan., for example, features lions chasing zebras and a herd of wildebeests leaping across a river, with one being dragged down by a huge crocodile.
The Glendale store, which would be the chain's 13th, would sport 165,000 square feet of retail space, a restaurant, and exhibits catering to schoolchildren. More than 25,000 students go through Cabela's exhibits on school tours each year.
Negotiations are nearly complete to land the store at Zanjero, a 150-acre development directly across Glendale Avenue from the arena and Westgate City Center. Also coming to Zanjero by late next year as part of the deal is a 145-suite Embassy Suites hotel.
Glendale Mayor Elaine Scruggs touted the effort as one that would bring significant jobs and money to the area. City officials also hope it will kick off a development boom in the area north of Cardinals Stadium. Lagging retail development at Westgate might jump-start if Cabela's breaks ground across the street.
"That is absolutely critical," Scruggs said Friday. "We all know the development is coming. Many times, it takes someone to be the leader and everything just falls into line afterward."
Cabela's officials could not be reached for comment Friday.
Glendale also announced that it was in negotiations with Salt River Project to divert water from the Grand Canal to create a whitewater-kayaking course a few blocks south of Cabela's on parkland just south of Cardinals Stadium.
The Cabela's deal requires an investment of up to $16.7 million by the city, a maximum of $6.7 million for site roads and up to $10 million for store elements considered public amenities. Those include an in-store museum, the huge aquarium and the conservation mountain, all of which the city will own, Deputy City Manager Art Lynch said.
In return, the city expects to draw $1.5 million in direct annual sales taxes and has a commitment from the site's owner and developer, to develop another 400,000 square feet of retail over the next four years. Cabela's will buy the land for $8 million.
Nick Wood, an attorney representing landowner Citation Land LLC, said the store and hotel would be a catalyst for other Zanjero projects. Two apartment complexes and office condominiums are in the works.
The exact location on the site of the four-star Embassy Suites is still unclear, Wood said.
Cabela's, in business since 1961, had nearly $1.6 billion in sales last year, two-thirds through catalog and Internet sales. It expects 30 to 40 percent of its local store business to come from out-of-state visitors
