Cave Creek Commercial growth spurt sprouts new grocery store

                                                                                                                                                               Sprouts site at 53rd St. & Carefree Highway

A nine-acre parcel of land just west of Chevron at Cave Creek and Carefree is being developed into a six building, 60,000 square foot commercial center, with Sprouts Market as the anchor tenant occupying about half of the planned space.

The parcel, which stretches down to 53^rd Street, across from Starbucks’ is currently zoned Desert Rural but is marked for commercial development on planning maps.

A traffic signal is being planned at 53^rd Street as part of the development though, according to traffic studies, the light is not expected to be needed for the intersection until 2024.

Additional  access to the center would also be available off Cave Creek Road on Barbie Lane, along the side of Tractor Supply Company.

There is some debate about home warranties, and whether they are worth their cost.

Most Realtors will tell you that they are a worthy investment, and I can say that I have one on my home.

Their cost depends on the size of the home and options (amount of coverage) chosen, but average around $500 annually. Compare that against the $6000 average cost of a new air conditioner in the Phoenix area and one can see that it does not take very long for the policy to pay for itself.

It should be noted however that home warranty companies are essentially insurance companies and as such will deny coverage if they possibly can, so read the policy carefully.

Home warranties also typically do not cover pre-existing conditions, or issues caused by improper maintenance. For this reason, it is important that your HVAC system in particular is maintained annually, coils kept clean and air filters replaced regularly.

Like insurance companies, not all home warranty companies are created equal, or have exemplary customer service, so research them carefully or ask your local real estate professional for a recommendation.

It is hard to believe that it is nearly 20 years since I relocated to Cave Creek from Old Town Scottsdale. While only thirty miles away, it might as well have been in the next state as far as lifestyle and atmosphere. 

While Scottsdale refers to itself as "..The Wests' most Western Town", the truth is that Cave Creek has Scottsdale beat for that title  by several country miles.

in 1999, my new home was the first to close in a brand new master-planned community of Dove Valley Ranch, in the Shea Homes neighborhood of Jasmine Trails. The main entrance to the subdivision, Rancho Paloma was not yet paved at the time and Black Mountain Parkway, the other main entrance to Dove Valley was still undisturbed open desert.

There was little commercial activity except for the newly built Safeway at Cave Creek and Tatum, so one hour minimum round trips to Bell Road to Home Depot were frequent, and exhausting when something was inevitably forgotten.

These days we have everything at our fingertips. Desert Ridge opened in 2001 offering a wide array of shopping, dining and entertainment to Foothills residents in just a ten or fifteen minute drive. High Street followed, and has grown into a viable residential and commercial destination as well, with great dining and entertainment. The Musical Instrument Museum located just south of Desert Ridge is a fabulous addition to North Phoenix, an excellent place to visit with family, friends and visitors,, and attracts national acts to its concert venue.

Meanwhile, most of what drew me to Cave Creek exists unchanged. The quirky town core remains with its'  cowboy bars, funky shops and lively locals. It never grows old watching the news and enjoying that our high temperatures (and lows) are consistently seven to ten degrees cooler than the rest of The Valley of the Sun.

There still is no rush hour, or even traffic to speak of, and crime is very rare.

Street lights are used sparingly, allowing residents and visitors to see the beautiful clear night sky. Coyotes, javelina, bobcat and quail still abound. In the winter time, one can be doorstep to ski slopes in beautiful Flagstaff in three hours. Lake Pleasant and Bartlett Lake are a half hour in either direction. The air up here is not the kind of air that you can see.

These are a few of the reasons that I love living in Cave Creek, Arizona. Drop me a line and let me know what I've left out!

If you have travelled west on Carefree Hwy  lately, you likely have noticed the site preparation on a large parcel at the NE corner of 7^th St, across from Discount Tire

Carefree Crossing has plans for 467 indoor self storage units as well as 40 covered and 42 uncovered spaces. About half of the 17.25 acre site had to be rezoned from residential to commercial, and a special use permit was required, as the parcel is located in a flood plain.

Carefree Crossings is to be primarily a one story facility with a two story building for office and upstairs management residence. The facility is being built on land included in what is known as as  Scenic Carefree Highway Study.  It was opposed by the Desert Hills and New River community associations, but was unanimously approved by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors after several changes to the special use permit, most including flooding and drainage issues.

Hampton Inn Hotels has submitted a site plan review (spr) to build a 2- story hotel with detached rental casitas, along with a proposed  4000 square foot commercial pad for a restaurant. The project is on 6 acres at the Southeast Corner of School House and Cave Creek Roads.

Copies of the project case summary are available at www.cavecreek.org.  There will be a hearing held by the Cave Creek Planning Commission on Thursday, July 19 at 7:00 pm  at the Cave Creek Town Hall at 37622 N. Cave Creek Road.