Watt Communities of Arizona has doubled its Phoenix project pipeline and brought its total local construction commitment to more than $21 million with the announcement of two new urban infill communities: The Enclave at 32nd Street and 16 Ocotillo. The move grows the company’s local presence and expands its product offerings to include single-family detached homes and urban townhomes in close-in suburban neighborhoods.
“We now have four flags on the map representing two concepts that we are extremely proud of and excited to bring to Phoenix,” said Steve Pritulsky, President and CEO of Watt Communities of Arizona. “They are all decidedly infill locations and will feature innovative indoor-outdoor living styles that today’s buyers are looking for.”
The Enclave at 32nd Street is located on 3.46 acres just south of the southwest corner of 32nd Street and Cactus Road, in the Paradise Valley Mall area of North Phoenix. The community is directly off of the 51/Piestewa Freeway and immediately north of the highly acclaimed Basis Charter School. It is also situated less than one mile from the Phoenix Mountain Preserve recreation area.
Scheduled to break ground in late 2014, The Enclave includes 31 two-story, single-family detached homes ranging from approximately 1,700 to 2,200 square feet. All homes deliver a welcoming front porch concept, creative side patios, builder-installed front yards and common area landscaping, walkable interior courtyards, and private rear-entry, two-car garages.
“This development is based on a private drive design developed by our partners in California, and is a unique concept here in Arizona,” said Paul Timm, COO of Watt Communities of Arizona. “Having just one point of entry for the community adds a level of privacy and allows residents to own a small oasis within a bustling urban corridor. It is innovative housing in and active location, but also peaceful.”
The second community, 16 Ocotillo, sits on 2.8 acres at the southwest corner of 16th Street and Ocotillo Road, between Maryland and Glendale avenues in North Central Phoenix. It is within walking distance to the area’s burgeoning 16th Street “Restaurant Row,” a Sprouts grocery store and diverse retail services. The community is being designed as a gated, single-family detached home community and is located near Piestewa Peak, which sits just one half mile away.
The Enclave at 32nd Street land acquisition closed escrow on May 13 for $1.275 million. Timm of Trust Realty Advisors represented the buyer, Watt New Leaf-Cactus LLC. John Werstler of CBRE represented the property seller, The Northern Trust Company as Trustee of the Edmund P Mell GST Trust. The 16 Ocotillo land acquisition closed escrow on May 8 for $1.6 million. The buyer was Watt New Leaf-16 Ocotillo LLC. Ray Cashen of Cashen Realty Advisors represented the property seller, The Estate of Mon Jame Lee and The Lee Living Trust.
In late 2013, Scottsdale-based New Leaf Communities and Watt Communities of Santa Monica, Calif. announced their joint venture (Watt Communities of Arizona) and entered the Phoenix market with two inaugural projects: Dorsey Lane, a 51-unit townhome project located in central Tempe (just south of the southwest corner of Broadway Road and Dorsey Lane), and Biltmore Living, a 40-unit townhome project located in the Camelback Corridor (less than a mile south of 24th Street and Camelback Road).
Those communities will provide contemporary, three-story urban townhomes ranging in size from 1,400 to 1,800 square feet. Amenities include gated entry, private two-car garages and common areas with a pool/ramada/sundeck, outdoor poolside kitchen and landscaped paseos.
“These are urban locations within established employment cores,” said Pritulsky. “They match the quality and vibrancy of their neighborhoods, and will allow residents to move from renting to owning without giving up their urban lifestyle.”
