CHANDLER, AZ-By next summer, more than 75 acres of new businesses will spring up here, creating a bustling shopping area along a stretch of what was once rural farmland and pasture.

"Logistically being in Chandler, where there is a lot of growth, is the place to be," John Bacon, with RED Development LLC, tells GlobeSt.com. The firm will spend about $90 million to $100 million to build three shopping plazas on the site, located just a few miles from one of the Valley's biggest shopping malls, the Chandler Fashion Center.

The developer broke ground earlier this week on the first of the retail-based developments between Arizona Avenue and Ocotillo, Chandler Heights and Alma School roads. The 350,000-sf Fulton Ranch Towne Center will deliver in November. The 41-acre project is already about 40% leased to tenants that include Lowe's, Petco, Midfirst Bank, Johnny Carino's Italian, Garcias and Cheeburger Cheeburger. A number of specialty and service shops along with fast-casual and family restaurants will occupy the remaining retail space.

If that doesn't satisfy consumers' shop-till-you-drop desires, the company also will break ground this summer on the Promenade at Fulton Ranch, a 150,000-sf lifestyle center set on 21 acres, which is scheduled to open in spring 2006. The tenant mix will include a specialty grocery store, men's and women's fashions, home decor, salon and spa, sit-down restaurants and specialty shops. The Promenade also will feature 36,000 sf of office space, set to open in the first quarter 2006, which will be developed by Scottsdale-based Champion Partners LLC.

A summer start also is planned for the third phase of retail shops, Fulton Ranch Marketplace, a 125,000-sf project anchored by a national drug store and major health club. The 14-acre project is expected to open in 2006.

Cementing all three projects will be Fulton Ranch, a 520-acre, lake-oriented, master planned "lifestyle village" that will be built by Tempe-based Fulton homes in conjunction with RED Development and Cachet Homes, both of Scottsdale. The residential phase, comprised of 710 homes and 300 multifamily townhouses and condominiums, already has enough interest to sell out. Bacon says more than 3,000 people have inquired about buying into a development that won't be getting its first "for-sale" sign until next year.