The Glendale Chamber of Commerce and Vision Capital Partners celebrated the groundbreaking on Feb. 17 on the Cardinal 95 luxury apartment complex slated for 10 acres at 95th and Georgia avenues near the Westgate Entertainment District.

Several Glendale city officials and staff joined VCP and the chamber to mark the occasion.

VCP founder and managing partner Ed Bailey said he expects the 198-unit multifamily development to be completed next year. VCP will market the new apartments as luxury, but “with the price points of a medium apartment,” he said.

The new development is part of a larger 45-acre planned area development called Urban 95, which, Bailey said, was approved for up to 1,400 apartments, as well as retail and office space. The new apartment complex is the first phase of development planned for Urban 95.

With the Super Bowl coming to State Farm Stadium next year and construction workers down the street working on Crystal Lagoons Island Resort, the district is booming and the mood at the groundbreaking ceremony was upbeat.

In remarks at the ceremony, Glendale Mayor Jerry Weiers reflected on the changes that have taken place in this part of Glendale, telling a story about growing up in Maryvale beginning in 1966.

“A lot of these farmers when they would do their hay,” Weiers said, referring to the fields behind him. “My dad had a deal worked out with them that we would go out and we would pick up all of the broken bales of hay, and I’m pretty convinced that right in this area I picked up a lot of bales of broken hay.”

Weiers said the $50 million project is another sign of how far Glendale has come.

“This to me adds one more layer of proof that … Glendale is a place people should come, that they should want to be, and we welcome,” he said. “In fact, we’re energized by every time that you guys make that decision to come to Glendale to build something new to invest your life dollars.”

VCP is no stranger to the area. The private equity firm has had a stake in the area for 22 years and invested close to $500 million, Bailey said, helping develop many amenities, usually as a lender, including Cabela’s, Zanjero Apartments and Cracker Barrel, among others. Bailey said VCP once owned all the land “from Cardinal Way down to Walmart.”

Bailey’s company has weathered boom times and bust in the Westgate District, and he said the area has witnessed a surge of interest from developers.

“It’s been a terrible return on investment until now, and now it’s just booming,” he said. “Pretty crazy stuff going on in Glendale. … There’s almost kind of a buying frenzy for land in the Westgate area. I get, I bet on average, one call a day — 75% apartment guys, but retail and hotel guys looking at it, too.”

At the ceremony, Bailey thanked the city for its support for Cardinal 95 and prior projects. Weiers, in his remarks, promised VCP that the city would work hard to usher construction through all the permitting processes.

“I’m going to make a commitment to you: Your contractor is going to be the one you’re waiting on, not the city of Glendale,” he said to a burst of cheers. “I have a group of people committed to make sure our projects are done — that you’re not waiting for us.”

After the ritual turning of dirt with golden shovels by city officials and project partners, Weiers jumped in a John Deere backhoe to break ground on a larger scale with a half dozen or so scoops.

This story was originally publishes in the Glendale Star.