03-04-2025
Glendale voters will decide on portion of VAI Resort in special election
Glendale voters will soon get a say on one aspect of the ambitious VAI Resort.
The big picture: Labor advocacy group Worker Power collected enough signatures to force the City Council to put two measures on the ballot for the May special election in Glendale.
Those two measures pertain to the City Council's November decisions to incorporate 10 acres owned by VAI into the resort project, and to change the zoning so it can be used for corporate office space.
If voters reject Propositions 401 and 402, it would reverse the council's decisions.
Why it matters: If the council's decisions are overturned, it would create "tremendous uncertainty for the developers as to what their timeline looks like" and would likely require VAI to seek another zoning agreement from the city, Garrick Taylor, a spokesperson for the Yes for Glendale campaign, told Axios.
What they're saying:"Why inject any doubt into this project when we are so close to bringing it to completion?" Taylor said.
Catch up quick: The $1.2 billion VAI Resort is slated to include four hotels with about 1,100 rooms, indoor and outdoor performance venues, a white-sand beach, 12 restaurants, bars, shopping stalls and the first-ever Mattel Adventure Park across 66 acres.
The first phase of the resort is expected to open later this year just south of State Farm Stadium in Glendale's Sports and Entertainment District.
It is expected to be Arizona's largest resort and to create about 2,000 permanent jobs.
The intrigue: Worker Power argues that the 10 acres should be used for green space, as it was previously zoned for, per the Arizona Republic.
The group is tied to Unite Here Local 11, which represents hotel, restaurant and airport workers in Arizona and California.
In 2023, Worker Power backed a lawsuit challenging a property tax incentive the city planned to give VAI.
The latest: Yes for Glendale, a campaign to support Propositions 401 and 402, launched this week.
The campaign touts support from political and business figures including Glendale Mayor Jerry Weiers, Council Member Lauren Tolmachoff and Glendale Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Joshua Gunn.
What they're saying: "The VAI Resort project represents our city's next step forward. This development will strengthen our economy, provide thousands of jobs and increase city revenues to improve police, fire, infrastructure and more," Weiers said in a campaign statement.
The other side: Worker Power treasurer Brendan Walsh told the Glendale Star there's "significant dissatisfaction among residents" about the concessions the city has given VAI, saying people in Glendale want more input on large developments.
