This article originally published in the Surprise Independent.
The vision of Surprise just after the turn of the century and the reality of it about 20 years later are dramatically different — witness Asante and its surrounding area.
This housing development just north and west of the intersection of 163rd and Grand avenues stalled for nearly a decade. One major retail development planned near the Asante entrance, bought by New York-based Kimco Realty in 2007, was in limbo as the developer’s original plans of a large outdoor retail center became increasingly less viable.