Subdivision is proposed - USATODAY.com

Homebuilding might make at least a modest comeback in Ahwatukee, which is approaching build-out and where home construction all but halted during the recession.

Attorneys for Rosewood Homes will host an open house for public review of a plan to build 61 homes in Ahwatukee. The review is 6 p.m. Wednesday at La Quinta Inn & Suites, 15241 S. 50th St.

The homes would be on an approximately 10.5-acre parcel 440 feet east of the northeastern corner of Desert Foothills Parkway and Marketplace S.E. The area was commercially zoned in the 1980s and once slated for a Walmart Neighborhood Market.

"That (market) didn't get very far because of a strong unified neighborhood position," said Doug Cole, chairman of the Ahwatukee Foothills Village Planning Committee. "This is so much better than what was going to be there."

Michael Curley, partner at Earl, Curley and Lagarde, is representing Rosewood Homes in its rezoning proposal. He said the new homes would be single-family, courtyard style with a mixture of Spanish and Italian architecture. The community would be gated, with access on Marketplace, he said. The dwellings would range from 1,700 to 2,500 square feet and cost $240,000 to $275,000, he said.

"We're going to be done with zoning in the next three or four months," Curley said. "I'd like to think that within a year, we'll break ground."

The Village Planning Committee will review the proposal at 6 p.m. Monday at the Pecos Community Center, 17010 S. 46th St.

Cole said he received the rezoning proposal in June and sent it out to residents for review.

"I think it's a nice-looking project that will fit well into that neighborhood," he said. "I'd rather have revenue-generating land than a vacant lot. Everyone benefits from that."

The rezoning proposal has a hearing with the Phoenix Planning Commission at 6 p.m. Aug. 14 in City Council chambers, 200 W. Jefferson St.

By Matthew Casey, The Republic|azcentral.com Jul 21, 2012




Subdivision is proposed - USATODAY.com