Signs of revitalization at Desert Ridge

Two projects at Desert Ridge may signal that the troubled northeast Phoenix community is on the rebound after it was hit hard by the economic downturn. The last phase of Fireside at Desert Ridge is under way, and a site plan has been approved for the first phase of an apartment project, Valley Desert Ridge Apartments. "Desert Ridge has survived the storm," said Doug Dickson, president of the area's community association. "We are on the other side of the lowest point." For about 15 years after the initial land was sold in the area, the community thrived. Land prices were the highest in the state, with some parcels exceeding $1 million per acre. But the recession and slow recovery resulted in a virtual shutdown of construction in the area, and many developers forfeited their land to the Arizona State Land Department. That now may be starting to change. Desert Ridge, a 5,700-acre master-planned community, is bounded by Pinnacle Peak Road on the north, the Central Arizona Project canal on the south, 64th Street on the east, and has an irregular border on the west bounded by 32nd and 40th streets, as well as Black Mountain Boulevard.

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