With a lengthy approval process finally complete Rio Verde Services is about to open up the latest golf course subdivision of the Verde Communities.

Markham Construction, the contractor that will install the utility lines and streets in this first phase of Vista Verde has already begun work. This phase of construction is expected to take a little more than a year to complete, according to Rio Verde Services President Dave Ritchie.

The first 185 lots at Vista Verde will be available for sale as soon as the Arizona Department of Real Estate approves the public report. That is expected to happen very soon, according to Rio Verde Sales Manager and Broker Dwight Futrelle.

Futrelle also believes that as many as 125 of the new lots will close almost immediately to potential buyers who have had conditional contracts on the property.

The conditional buyers have the right to study the public report and either sign the final contract or withdraw from the agreement, Futrelle said.

There are also builder reservations on some lots.

“We expect there will be some fall out,” Futrelle said. “But I fully expect to close on about 125 properties.”

That would leave about 50 lots available for general sales.

The developer has established a list of four preferred builders for Vista Verde, with two additional pre-approved builders.

Alexander Homes leads the list of preferred builders. The custom home builder has been the primary builder in the Verdes for more than 25 years. The company recently relocated its main offices to Scottsdale, but continues to keep an office in Rio Verde.

The other custom home builders with preferred status for Vista Verde include Carlson Homes, LaBlonde Homes and Community Builders of Scottsdale.

Carlson Homes builds across the Valley with projects as far west as Verrado. The company has also built at Troon, Desert Mountain and Whisper Rock.

LaBlonde Homes has been building custom houses in the area for 15 years.

The two approved builders on the list are Livingston-Meyer Homes, a company with operations in Oklahoma and Arizona with an office in Fountain Hills.

MJR Builders is the other approved builder on the list, a company that has been building homes in the Scottsdale area since 1982.

Model homes are expected to start going up in February and March of next year. Individual homes will likely start construction by late 2008, according to Futrelle.

A sales office will be built at Vista Verde with an opening planned for fall 2008. Futrelle said that office will be near the entry to the community and will remain open until the community is sold out.

The clubhouse for the Vista Verde community is in the design stage. The architect is DFD ConyerHendrich Architecture. The contractor selected for the clubhouse project is Krause Anderson Construction, which is based in Minneapolis and has a Phoenix office.

Ritchie said construction on the clubhouse will begin in late 2008.

Futrelle said they are looking ahead to quickly begin work on the next two building phases at Vista Verde. Unit II will have custom home lots, approximately the same number as the initial phase. Unit III will include 110 town houses to be built in the vicinity of the clubhouse.

Futrelle said the proposed town houses will be slightly larger than the units the developer has built more recently in Tonto Verde.

The first 18 holes of the Vista Verde Golf Club, designed by golf architect Ken Kavanaugh are complete and have been open for play. The course is expected to be open this winter season, but on a very limited basis due to construction. Ritchie said those wanting to play need to check in advance to see if or when the course is available for play.

An amenity that allows Verde residents and guests to enjoy the flavor of the old west is Rio Verde Ranch. This facility, owned by Rio Verde Services, sits along a bluff overlooking the Verde River and includes a mesquite grove that shelters a cookout area.

A grassy lawn provides a tranquil setting for relaxing along the banks of the river and provides a perch for watching for the bald eagles that nest in a large cottonwood tree across the river plain.

Vista Verde and the other Verde Communities are located about eight miles north of the Town of Fountain Hills and 10 miles east of Pinnacle Peak in Scottsdale.