Inside the isolated American neighborhood where residents reliant on food trucks simply yearn for a gas station or coffee shop

An Arizona development that bills itself as a “master-planned community” is leaving residents in a food desert and desperate for the opportunity to open a gas station.

Tartesso was originally announced as a development in Buckeye, Arizona in 2005 and currently has approximately 10,000 residents, many of whom agree it is underserved.

The development is taking place along Sun Valley Parkway, about 40 miles west of Phoenix, which was once known as the “Road to Nowhere” and for some who live there, it may still feel that way.

A local resident said they have to drive 15 minutes to get to a supermarket or gas station. Walmart is also 15 minutes away from the community, while Costco is 20 minutes away.

One resident pointed out that business in the neighborhood has improved, but only because locals can now rely on food trucks coming to the area every day.

Residents say they love how quiet the community is, away from the state’s largest city, Phoenix.

“One of the attractive features of that neighborhood is that it’s away from all the heavy industry that’s really popping up on every corner in Phoenix,” Terrell told Hannah. AZ Central.

However, Hannah also has to drive their children 25 minutes to school and 35-45 minutes to the air base where he earns a living.

Martin Partida, a real estate agent who has lived in Tartesso since 2020, doesn’t understand why the neighborhood hasn’t been maintained while the rest of Buckeye has progressed.

“When we compare what we have to other communities that have been developed like Verrado, it just seems unbalanced. We’re not sure why it’s taking so long for everything to get moving here,” Partida said.

Partida’s greatest wish? A secondary school, as schools in Tartesso currently only go up to the fifth grade.

He also hopes for some kind of recreation center.

Cameron James, who has lived in the neighborhood for 15 years, says he accepted their fate long ago.

‘After about a year you get used to it. I mean, we feel spoiled now because we have food trucks,” James said.

Page Stein has no problem with people having to travel longer distances because he believes that this is what young professionals “have to do.”

What she wants is a coffee shop and more places where Tartesso’s younger residents can come together.

“Something where the students coming home from school can hang out so they don’t have to go straight home or hang out in the heat,” Stein said.

The city boasts on its website that it has “recreational facilities, neighborhood parks, green spaces and natural washes.” An extensive sports park with baseball fields, football fields, basketball, volleyball, tennis courts and ramadas.’

However, people like development director Chris Barr understand the complaints and are working to resolve them, especially by bringing in grocers and gas stations.

The city has rezoned the land from residential to industrial, halting construction of 6,000 homes and potentially creating more jobs.

“We just wanted to create some employment and really good-paying jobs for people in that region who don’t want to jump on the freeway and potentially have to leave the city of Buckeye to drive to and from work every day,” Barr said.

The aim is to attract more people and give them more jobs near their homes so that they can continue to bring commercial and retail activities to Tartesso, with a target of 100,000 inhabitants.

He claims that the problem with many of the desired public works programs, such as a recreation center and development in general, were leftovers from the Great Recession of the late 2000s.

“They had a lot of projections on the roof that took a long time to materialize because the market was essentially shut down for a few years,” Barr said.

According to the City of Buckeye, at least one thing is happening: a QuikTrip opening south of Tartesso.

QuikTrip is a Southwest convenience store chain with more than 100 locations in Arizona.

“While commercial development is currently booming in the eastern portions of Buckeye, our growth trajectory will expand westward along Sun Valley Parkway. This will promote expansion and development in those areas,” a statement from the city said.

There are also reports that a gas station will be built within a mile of the neighborhood. The nearest gas station is currently 16 km away.

Barr believes everything is starting to blossom in the small, isolated community.

“I don’t think we’re quite there yet,” Barr said. “But I believe that activity breeds more activity.”