The Arizona Republic - December 2006
The Valley's current housing slump isn't keeping one developer from building more than 2,000 Gilbert homes over the next three years.
In fact, he said, his timing is just right.
"Buyers are becoming more aware that it's a good time to buy," said Larry Miller, co-owner of Elite Communities. "By the time we come online here, particularly because the Gilbert market has always been a strong market, the buyer interest will be very high."
Construction is scheduled to start this month on the first phase of The Bridges at Gilbert, south of the southeastern corner of Higley and Queen Creek roads. Developer Elite Communities will take plans for a second and third phase before the town's Planning and Zoning Commission tonight.
When finished, the Bridges will feature more than 1,800 single-family homes, more than 400 condominiums, a Higley School District elementary school, swimming pools, two recreational centers, ballfields and bridges. The project will have 138 acres of open space, according to a town report.
"It's like a little community within a community," Miller said.
Plans for the first phase of the development call for 600 homes and 210 condominiums, he said. Construction of the second phase will likely start in 12 to 18 months, with construction of the third phase 12 to 18 months after that.
The project is about three quarters of the size of Trilogy, an age-restricted community adjacent to the Bridges site.
"It's a good-size project, it's not as large as Seville or Power Ranch," said Jason Sanks, a contract planner with the town.
Despite its size, there is still room for more master-planned communities to develop in Gilbert. As of Oct. 1, the town's population was 186,100. Some planners speculate that Gilbert could reach 300,000 by 2020, or sooner.
This won't be the last residential project ever built in the town, said Linda Edwards, acting planning manager with the town.
"You can look at the aerial and see there is still plenty of vacant land out there for development," Edwards said. "There's constant levels of development."
Gilbert's Planning Commission is scheduled to review the preliminary plats tonight for the second and third phases of the Bridges, which would have more than 600 houses each. The preliminary plats will provide more technical information about the street network, lot size and park space. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 6, and will be held in council chambers in the Gilbert Municipal Center, 50 E. Civic Center Drive.
Zoning and a conceptual design plan for the entire project were approved in May 2005, Sanks said.
Prices for the houses have not been set, but there will be five lot types. There will be traditional lots and detached villas sharing a front yard.
