With the Accenture Match Play Championship concluding this week, I thought it would be interesting to point out some super luxury homes being developed by the super luxury hotel. Ritz-Carlton has just a handful of these homes, called “The Residences,” at its more than 100 worldwide locations. These properties are developed with convenience and super luxury in mind for the owners, who receive access to everything the hotel has to offer. However, residents will be required to join the golf club. Those member ships cost $100,000 plus annual fees, which have yet to be determined. The price of these homes will “start” at $2.25M (which includes a home site at the lower range of the spectrum) and go up to prices that will be in excess of $4.3M. These properties will be on the very high end of the market, especially for the Marana area. The actual neighborhoods are Amolillo, Seven Saguaros and Rockpoint Ridge. The Amolillo and Seven Saguaros neighborhoods feature highly customized homes, with a choice of 5 floorplans. Rockpoint Ridge will have custom home sites ranging from approximately 1.5 acres to almost 7 acres. The thinking is that many second, third, and fourth home owners will want a desert location in the spectacular Dove Mountain area complete with vistas of the entire Tucson Valley. Prospective buyers of “The Residences at Ritz-Carlton” within the Dove Mountain area will very willing to pay for a premium name in a premium area.

This week, Marana’s Town Council agreed to approve the rezoning of 205 acres on the west side of Interstate 10 at Marana Road for what’s being billed as “Uptown for Marana.” This new uptown plan is unconventional for Marana developments because it includes mixed-use areas that will intertwine commercial and residential developments. Uptown will be unlike anything that currently exists in Marana, and I, for one, as a Marana resident, am excited about the change. All the other new major residential developments, such as Gladden Farms, Continental Ranch, Continental Reserve, and Dove Mountain all feel very similar to me, although each has its own identity. I think Marana is definitely taking the right step to mix up the normal development. In my opinion, the location for this new mixed-use development could not be better because there is much land available to develop around this new Uptown project. The proximity of I-10 will make it a very alluring location for many companies looking to establish a business presence in Marana.

I wanted to post about the new FEMA flood maps that will go into effect in September of 2008. The new maps place a majority of Marana in a floodplain which will affect homeowners who will be required to purchase flood insurance. Town officials do not agree with the new maps, stating that FEMA used out-of-date information when making the update. They are fighting the decision. According to Rodney Campbell (the Marana Public Information Officer), “The town is very disappointed with the mapping.”