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Wednesday February 10, 2021
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Appraisal: State land tract here ripe for 1,050 houses BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor
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t least 1,050 homes can be built on the 373.5-acre stretch of State Trust Land in Ahwatukee that will go on the auction block within the next few months, according to the appraisal performed by the Arizona Land Department. The appraisal helped the state Land Department set a starting bid of $105 million for the land –located along Chandler Boulevard between 19th and 27th avenues – whenever it holds an auction. No auction date has been set yet, though a Land Department official told the Ahwatukee Foothills Village Planning Committee in Decem-
ber that it likely will occur this spring or early summer. The date will be set when the department begins a 10-week advertising period. As one of the largest untouched pieces of land closest to central Phoenix currently for sale, developers are likely to be flocking to that auction – especially since the land already is zoned for both residential and multi-family development. A study released last month by Land Advisors Organization in Phoenix showed that much of the Valley’s non-tribal open land that could be developed is now located in the far reaches of the West Valley and in Pinal County, though there are hundreds of available acres, much of it State Trust Land, in the far East Valley as well.
Gila River Indian Community plans a mammoth neighbor
Moreover, having one huge piece of land available for auction that could be bought by one developer fits a growing trend identified by Land Advisors Organization. Its study found that developers are increasingly buying huge chunks of land rather than taking a more incremental approach because of the skyrocketing demand for homes and apartments fueled by the relentless migration of out-of-state buyers and renters to the Phoenix Metro region. Maricopa County’s population rose from 2.1 million in 1990 to a current 4.4 million and is projected to hit 4.7 million in three years. The Trust Land in Ahwatukee would host
From the heart
see LAND page 18
BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor
O
ver the next decade, Ahwatukee will be getting a big new neighbor – a 3,300-acre sports and entertainment complex that could give the Gila River Indian Community a rival to the Talking Stick Entertainment District just south of Scottsdale. The project lead, Sunbelt Holdings of Scottsdale, and the tribe’s development arm, Wild Horse Pass Development Authority, envision additional hotels, wellness and event centers, an outdoor amphitheater for concerts, sports facilities, outdoor recreation and parks, restaurants, retail establishments and an office park. Sunbelt Holdings President John Graham told AFN that the development, located just south of the Loop 202-I-10 intersection, will fill a “missing corner” of the East Valley. “It’s an additional piece of economic development potential for the whole area,” said Graham, whose
see GILA page 14
At age 15, Ahwatukee resident Reva Chaudhry is an honor student who devotes a considerable amount of time to making people feel appreciated and loved with scores of meticulously crafted greeting cards. See page 25 for details. (Pablo Robles/AFN Staff
Photographer)