Builders want to add more than 700 homes across three separate projects in Phoenix as the area attracts new residents and employer hubs.
Phoenix-based Rankin Real Estate, which has worked on land deals and built industrial parks throughout the metropolitan area, is looking to bring new homes to the city of Maricopa — a fast-growing city south of Phoenix — in a master-planned community called Sanctuary.
Dallas-based Landsea Homes, a national homebuilder with 14 communities in the metropolitan area, is looking to break into the Hawes Crossing master-planned community in southeast Mesa.
Within Maricopa County jurisdiction near the city of Peoria, Phoenix-based AroundTown Developers is spearheading Agua Fria, a new single-family development. The proposed site is located near Rose Estates — a development that AroundTown received approval to build hundreds of homes in 2022.
If built, these communities would collectively deliver 733 lots between the cities of Maricopa and Mesa and near the city of Peoria.
The push to build comes after years of growth that is expected to continue in Phoenix and its surrounding areas. At the end of last year, the National Association of Realtors deemed Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, Arizona, a fast-growing market to watch in 2025, especially as Californians continue migrating to the metropolitan area.
Sanctuary
In the largest project of the three proposals, Rankin, through the entity Maricopa Hartman LLLP, is seeking approval for a preliminary plat of the first phase of the Sanctuary master-planned community.
Kernit Rankin, founder of his namesake firm, purchased some 330 acres in 2017 to develop the master-planned community that could bring more than 1,000 lots to Maricopa. It established a planned area development for the community back in 2021, laying the groundwork to move forward on the project.
Maricopa's Planning and Zoning Commission heard the case to approve the preliminary plat for the first phase at its June 9 meeting. The phase calls for a 339-lot subdivision on 83 acres on the northeast corner of Hartman Road and Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway. Homes would be built on lots ranging from about 4,800 to 6,800 square feet, smaller than the ideal size that a few of the commissioners were looking for.
The median sales price in the city of Maricopa is $354,900 — more than $100,000 lower than Phoenix, according to Homes.com data. The city, which recorded a 25% jump in population from July 2020 to July 2024, has been a popular option for manufacturers looking to build out their operations due to its availability of vacant land.
As the city attracts higher-paying jobs, it has looked to deepen its pool of higher-cost homes in the town.
"We've now been pigeon-holed into these tiny lot developments," Commissioner Robert Klob said in a meeting prior to the vote. "My issue is that's all we have. ... We also need middle-income homes, larger homes — those higher-income level homes — and none of these developments that we've seen lately offer any of that.
“I love the open space. I love the green space that’s in this development. But the fact that we’re not offering any other product types for a subdivision this size, scares the hell out of me with where this community is going.”
Klob and other commissioners expressed concerns over the smaller lot sizes and the limited points of access currently planned for the community. The commission ultimately voted to continue the case to a later date to get more clarity from a city traffic analyst.
Hawes Crossing
In Mesa, Landsea Homes Corp. wants to bring a new subdivision online in an active part of town.
Dubbed "Hawes Crossing—Village 4," Landsea wants to bring 259 homes to the 1,200-acre Hawes Crossing master-planned community. The community was once home to dairy farms on land that was annexed into the city of Mesa in 2020. The lots would range in size from 2,600 to 4,049 square feet.
Mesa City Council voted to approve the subdivision plat at its June 16 meeting.
Landsea would join other homebuilders like Taylor Morrison, Blandford Homes and Lennar Corp. that have built within Hawes Crossing.
The Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport neighborhood is filled with newly built homes, with 2023 as the median year built. The median sales price in the city of Mesa is $578,759, according to Homes.com data.
Located near the Loop 202 freeway and just to the north of Mesa Gateway Airport, Hawes Crossing is near major employers like Virgin Galactic, Gulfstream, Xnrgy Climate Systems, and several others that have staked claims in the southeast valley.
Landsea announced in April that it is building 78 "smart" homes in Maricopa. The residences will have smart home amenities — including entry door locks, thermostat controls and light dimmer switches — that aim to "make life at home healthier and more comfortable."
Irvine, California-based New Home Co. is set to acquire Landsea in a $1.2 billion deal. The deal was announced in May and is expected to close in the third quarter.
Agua Fria
The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution in June that will pave the way for Agua Fria Estates — a planned 135-lot community near 115th Avenue and W. Hatfield Road in the Peoria area. Project documents show that up to 150 lots could be built on the 33.5 acres.
The minimum lot size planned is 4,950 square feet, though many of the lots along the perimeter will be larger, according to project documents.
AroundTown, with its project partners, has been working on Agua Fria Estates since 2022. The community name is a nod to the nearby Agua Fria River.
The site is about 15 miles southwest of Taiwanese Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.'s multi-billion-dollar campus, which is the focal point of a major employment corridor in North Phoenix.
When built, Agua Fria would be located near the Mesquite neighborhood in Peoria, where the median sales price is $673,995, according to Homes.com data.