Waymo acquires 5,458-acre proving grounds site in $220M deal

Article originally posted on Phoenix Business Journal on June 9, 2026

Waymo has acquired a massive proving grounds site near Phoenix in a $220 million deal that emphasizes the autonomous ride-hailing company’s growing commitment to the metro.

The property – which stretches 5,458 acres around 211th Avenue and Dove Valley Road – is in the far northwest portion of the City of Surprise, bordering Wittmann. Chrysler formerly used the site to test its vehicles, then Apple reportedly used it for its own autonomous vehicle testing.

The acquisition closed June 5, according to real estate database Vizzda. A spokesperson for Waymo confirmed the deal June 8, though was unable to provide further details at time of publication.

The city of Surprise approved transferring the obligations under the development agreement signed with the property’s previous owner – Route 14 Investment Partners LLC – over to Waymo during a May 5 City Council meeting. A spokesperson with the city was unable to be reached for additional comment by time of publication.

Waymo, a subsidiary of Google owner Alphabet Inc., has been operating in the Valley since the introduction of its early rider program in 2018, helping the region lay claim to being one of the most advanced autonomous vehicle testing metros in the country. Waymo’s self-driving Jaguar I-Pace electric cars began wider operations in 2020, and the company began testing to allow for traveling on Valley freeways in early 2024.

The deep-pocketed company received $16 billion in funding in February, the “significant majority of which was funded by Alphabet,” according to Alphabet’s latest quarterly report released April 30.

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