The Valley's Master Planned Communities
by Tim Rogers

Master planned communities have a unique and ongoing history in the U.S. housing market, according to research by Chris Fiscelli of the Urban Futures Program. Its origins in the Valley can be traced to the 1960s when city planners developed a "General Master Plan" for the city. The first tangible outcome of the city's efforts was the master planned community of McCormick Ranch. It was truly a master planned community. The city included office parks, recreational parks and commercial centers.

The popularity of the master planned community concept today is illustrated by the numbers. It is estimated that almost 79 percent of resale homes going through our standard escrow/title process in the Valley are in master planned communities and over 86 percent of new home construction permits issued by Valley building departments are issued for homes in a master planned communities!

The valley is home to a number of master planned communities that have received national recognition for unique and impressive character and originality. Anthem at the north end of the Valley and the new Vistancia in the booming northwest section of the Valley have both won national honors for as "Best Master Planned Communities" in the nation. Others have been built with a theme; Verrado in the west Valley brings its residents back to a simpler time with its "town square," front porches and other classic community features eliminated in recent years by many builders.

How do you know if you are in a master planned community or just typical subdivision? Primarily by the tremendous number of amenities and conveniences offered as well as the enormous land area the community encompasses overall. Master planned communities generally incorporate extensive recreational amenities such as lakes, golf courses and expansive parks with bike paths and jogging trails. Typical subdivisions may have a smaller park or recreation area but the size of the local neighborhood(s) will be much smaller than those found in most master planned communities.

Subdivisions also will be surrounded by general shopping at strip and/or commercial centers, but these local amenities are not part of the original ScottsdaleArizona-HomesForSale.com 602.750.4235 • TRogers@AzAchievers.com INFO LINK newhomeswebzine.com New Homes & Lifestyles Magazine 59 plan for the subdivision. Instead, developers build and assume or hope that retail and commercial development will follow. In a master planned community, all these amenities are planned for in the initial stages by the city and developers before breaking ground.

However, master planned communities and subdivisions do have one thing in common. Because of the sheer size of new home projects in the Valley today, most projects are simply too large for one builder or developer to handle. Usually, a group of individual builders will join together to develop localized sections of the subdivision or master-planned community.

One important side benefit of this concept is that there is almost always a wide variety of building styles, floor plans, lots sizes, landscaping styles and pricing throughout the community. In addition, each section developed by individual builders or group of builders will have its own unique codes, covenants and restrictions (CC&Rs) that maintain the quality and overall standards of the individual community.

An interesting side note on the master planned community has been developing in Phoenix and around the nation. Master planned communities have almost always been located on the outer edges of development, but a new "urban lifestyle" approach specifically targets baby boomer active adult buyers. This group is and will continue to be the focus for many developers.With this approach, master planned communities are being developed in established urban areas, drawing on the substantial number of businesses and services already established.

As the booming 55 segment will be the "prime mover" for many Arizona developers in the future, it remains to be seen how American active adults will take to this new urban concept. The fact that master planned communities overall have been embraced by home buyers, however, is evident in the growing numbers of such developments in the Valley and elsewhere.

Tim Rogers is a Master Planned Community and certified "Active Adult" Community Specialist with the Re/Max Achievers East Camelback office in Phoenix.

ScottsdaleArizona-HomesForSale.com