A new subdivision could add to the luxury stock of high-end homes in a northeast Scottsdale neighborhood.
The project development team for Ranch Gate 40 — a 32-lot community planned for the Dynamite Foothills neighborhood — has received a unanimous recommendation of approval from the Scottsdale Planning Commission for a zoning district map amendment that will push the project forward.
Denise Bixler, a private real estate owner, paid over $3 million for the 40 acres split across two parcels in February 2012, according to the Maricopa County assessor's office. Homes.com recently talked to lot experts about climbing costs for residential land in top-tier neighborhoods in Phoenix, and the increasing scarcity has made those lots even more of an expensive commodity.
Bixler is working with Kimley-Horn on the planning and engineering services for the project.
At the presentation to the planning commission, Keith Nichter, a planning manager for Kimley Horn, said David Weekley Homes is under contract to build at Ranch Gate 40 should the project ultimately be approved by the city council.
Houston-based David Weekley Homes ranks No. 16 among the nation's largest homebuilders based on 6,311 home closings in 2024, according to Builder Magazine. David Weekley Homes could not be immediately reached for comment.
A push for high-end homes
The site, planned on the lower slopes of the McDowell Mountain Range, is bordered by the Storyrock community — a 462-acre upscale master-planned development that has drawn builders such as David Weekley Homes, Shea Homes, Toll Brothers and others.
"The Ranch Gate 40 community embraces its native desert setting while providing high-end, large lot homes. Architecture will be designed to blend into the natural desert surroundings," Kimley Horn wrote in its project narrative.
Project documents show each lot will have a minimum of 26,250 square feet and the buildout of the project will be "based upon current real estate market conditions." Homes on this site will be single-story and have buffers from property boundaries.
Dynamite Foothills is one of the most expensive neighborhoods in the Phoenix metropolitan area, with nearly 98% of homes valued at $1 million or more. It carries an average home value of $1.96 million, compared to the metropolitan area-wide figure of $577,266, according to Homes.com.