Gila Bend is a town of just about 2000 residents and is the not the first place that comes to mind when it comes to investing in commercial real estate. Despite its small population, it does benefit from a unique location. Located at the convergence of Interstate 8 and Arizona 85, Gila Bend is passed through by anyone traveling from Phoenix or Tucson to San Diego. Additionally anyone driving from Phoenix to the Mexican vacation town of Puerto Penasco (Rocky Point) passes through the town on Arizona 85. The lack of any significant population for about one and a half to two hours to the West in Yuma and about forty five minutes to the North in Buckeye, means many people will choose to stop in Gila Bend for a meal, gas-up or a night stay at a local hotel.

The second thing benefiting Gila Bend from a retail perspective is that the AZ-85 traffic coming from Phoenix has to slow down and drive down West Pima Street, which is the main street running through town. They are driving by at a slow sleep as they see places to stop for gas or a hamburger. Retail properties on West Pima Street are easy to get to and virtually impossible for a driver to overlook. As such, major restaurants like Burger King, McDonald\’s, and Subway have thrived in Gila Bend for years catering to the traveling public with very little dependence on local residents to support them.

Besides retail and hotel properties, the other investable sector (place where you can put large dollars to work) would be the agricultural properties which are largely to the north of Interstate 8 and along the Gila River Basin. As its name indicates, Gila Bend is located along a curve or bend in the Gila River. This area has been farmed for many years. Grain, cotton, and alfalfa are the major crops. These same properties, which are flat and have access to irrigation, are actually ideal for a new type of farming: solar farming. Three major solar farms have been announced, the most notable of which is the 280 megawatt Abengoa CSP Plant, which is backed by an almost $1.5 billion loan guarantee. The town is embracing the solar power industry and as many as 20 potential solar power plants have been dreamt up by developers. However, unless there is some way to get transmission lines to California, there is only so much demand by APS, Arizona\’s large utility company, and many of these won\’t be built.

From a more speculative standpoint, there may be potential for an apartment or residential developer. There are many solar and construction workers commuting into town from the West Valley (Avondale, Buckeye, etc.), Casa Grande-Maricopa, and even in the East Valley of Phoenix. Maybe some of these people would stay and live in Gila Bend full-time. However, some of the old stigmas of Gila Bend being a hot, undesirable place to live would need to be overcome before master-planned communities and large apartment developments seen in places like Scottsdale, Tempe, and Chandler, are viable.

Copyright Donald Plunkett. Do NOT invest in Gila Bend Commercial Real Estate before you visit this site: http://gilabendrealestate.com .

Copyright Donald Plunkett. Do NOT invest in Gila Bend Commercial Real Estate before you visit this site: http://gilabendrealestate.com .

Author Bio: Copyright Donald Plunkett. Do NOT invest in Gila Bend Commercial Real Estate before you visit this site: http://gilabendrealestate.com .

Category: Real Estate
Keywords: gila bend real estate,gila bend,real estate investing