The residents of Rio Verde and Tonto Verde will be watching with great interest as the new owners of Vista Verde gradually roll out their plans for that community.
Members of the RVCA Board of …
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The residents of Rio Verde and Tonto Verde will be watching with great interest as the new owners of Vista Verde gradually roll out their plans for that community.
Members of the RVCA Board of Directors and a few interested residents had a chance to hear from the developer at the regular session of the board on Oct. 17, and the presentation seemed generally well received.
Mike Jesberger, principal for TerraWest Communities, will oversee the development of the property and offered a “glimpse” of what his company expects to transpire over the next 18 months to two years.
Jesberger said they are already in the application process for making amendments to the overall master plan for the site. They are proposing some zoning adjustments to the parcels that have not yet been platted with lots. The master plan amendments are expected to take around six months working with Maricopa County officials, with platting individual parcels to follow that.
Jesberger said a community very similar to Rio Verde and Tonto Verde is expected grow from the new Vista Verde, which probably will get a new name.
“We are planning a very high quality community,” Jesberger said. “We want to attract luxury homebuilders to this project.
“We have found Rio Verde is the best mirror for us to look at.”
The proposed overall density for the project is 1.7 dwelling units per acre, which compares closely with the 1.5 units per acre at Rio Verde.
Homes are expected to range from $400,000 or $500,000 to around $1 million, according to Jesberger.
Residents of the area will not likely see much in the way of physical activity at the community before next summer. Jesberger said at that time a new entry will be constructed that will include a guard house and gates, which initially will not be manned.
The entry improvements will also include a landscaped median and changes surrounding the entry feature.
Also, the temporary trailer currently used for golf check in and sales information will be removed and a new temporary facility will be relocated farther in near the turn to the golf course entry.
That temporary facility will house a golf shop, snack bar and marketing information.
The community will be marketed as “age targeted,” Jesberger said. He said it will not be age restricted like Rio Verde and Tonto Verde. They expect to attract empty nesters and retirees very much like the Verdes, including a significant number of secondary homeowners.
One of the first projects for the new developer will be the construction of an amenity center. This will be about 15,000 square feet and will include the golf shop, dining or grill area, fitness facility, pool and flexible social area.
The site for this construction will be near the golf driving range and first tee areas.
The development is not planning a second golf course, as was the plan of the original developers. However, Jesberger said they will be investing significantly in improvements to the existing golf course over the next couple of years.
He said they will be finishing areas around the tee boxes and greens and cart paths.
OB Sports will be taking over the management of the golf course in the near future. Current staff is expected to stay on to work with OB Sports.
The golf course will not go private, according to Jesberger. It will be a high end public daily fee course similar to Troon. However, he said they will pay special attention to community residents when it comes to the golf.
