Vikings Owners To Build In Desert Ridge

Hey everyone. At Williams Luxury Homes, we’ve spent a lot of time following Desert Ridge, Headquarters Alley, Mayo Clinic, Paradise Ridge, & the Scottsdale Road & Loop 101 Corridor.

Now an NFL ownership family is putting another major residential project right in the middle of that map. And near where the new, and under construction, Arizona Cardinals HQ and training facilities are being built!

Plans call for 504 luxury apartments just north of Desert Ridge Marketplace at 5150 E. Deer Valley Drive. The family behind the project owns an NFL franchise. A few miles east, the Arizona Cardinals are building their new headquarters & performance center.

Yeah.

That got our attention.

The NFL Connection Comes Through Real Estate

The family behind the apartment proposal is the Wilf family, owners of the Minnesota Vikings.

Through Garden Communities, the Wilfs plan to develop the 504 residences on part of a roughly 41-acre property near Tatum Boulevard & Deer Valley Drive. Garden Deer Valley LLC acquired the former Arizona State Trust Land for $44.1 million in 2022.

The Wilfs are not NFL owners who suddenly decided to dabble in apartments. Real estate is a major part of their business history. Vikings ownership pages identify members of the family as principals in their longtime real estate development operations.

And there is an important distinction here.

This is not an NFL development.

It is a real estate development tied to a family that owns an NFL franchise.

That difference matters.

The Site Has Been In Motion For Years

There is more history behind the land than the newest 504-unit proposal might suggest.

City of Phoenix records show Garden Deer Valley LLC controlling approximately 41.18 acres at the northeast corner of Tatum Boulevard & Deer Valley Drive. Phoenix approved a final plat for the property in December 2023.

Earlier planning documents contemplated as many as 882 apartments across the larger property, with 504 residences on the eastern parcel & another 378 on the western portion. The current news centers on the 504-unit piece. No new construction schedule has been publicly announced.

The current proposal sits on roughly 18 acres.

That puts a large new apartment community immediately north of Desert Ridge Marketplace, with the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa nearby.

• 504 planned luxury apartments
• Approx. 18-acre development site
• Larger ownership parcel covers about 41 acres
• $44.1 million state land purchase
• Construction timing remains unannounced

For us, the address may be as interesting as the unit count.

The Apartments Are Planned A Few Miles From Arizona Cardinals' New HQ

Desert Ridge Keeps Adding More Housing

Desert Ridge already carries a wide residential mix.

You have established single-family neighborhoods. You have apartments around CityNorth & High Street. The Luxe at Desert Ridge adds luxury condominium ownership. The resort & Wildfire Golf Club sit nearby.

K. Hovnanian Homes is planning approximately 234 gated single-family residences called Tellaro on roughly 53 acres near the JW Marriott. More than 12 acres are planned for open space, with select homesites positioned along the Faldo Course at Wildfire Golf Club.

So while Garden Communities moves toward another large rental project, Tellaro adds a very different housing type nearby.

Apartments. Condos. Gated homes. Resort real estate.

Desert Ridge keeps filling in.

Then The Arizona Cardinals Enter The Picture

This is where the sports angle gets much more interesting.

The Arizona Cardinals are building their new performance center & business headquarters at Paradise Ridge, west of Scottsdale Road & north of Loop 101.

The Cardinals purchased a 217-acre property, with their football operation occupying approximately 30 acres. The headquarters will total more than 250,000 square feet & is scheduled to open in 2028.

The rest of Paradise Ridge is being positioned for additional development.

Dignity Health has already signed on for an eight-acre medical campus next to the team. Plans call for as much as 300,000 square feet across two buildings, including sports medicine, Barrow Neurological Institute programs, orthopedics, imaging, outpatient surgery, & other medical services.

The Garden Communities apartments have no announced connection to the Cardinals.

We want to make that very clear.

Still, put the projects on the same map.

That is where the real estate conversation gets interesting.

Pro Athletes Need Housing In Different Ways

At Williams Luxury Homes, this part of the story is familiar.

Our Celeb & Sports Division works with professional athletes & other high-profile clients who may need housing on very different timelines than the typical buyer.

Spring Training is an easy example. We regularly help athletes with temporary housing needs during that part of the year.

Pro sports can create other situations too.

A player can arrive after a trade. Someone can sign during a season. A family may relocate later. An athlete may train in Greater Phoenix during an offseason. Another client may want to rent first before buying.

That can mean:

• Furnished luxury rentals
• Longer-term apartments
• Luxury condos
• Single-family homes
• Private off-market options
• Eventually, a permanent purchase

Nothing public says these 504 apartments are being built for professional athletes.

We would never make that leap.

But luxury rental housing near a growing professional sports corridor is worth watching.

The Luxury Rental Map Goes Well Beyond Desert Ridge

Drive east & the options multiply.

Optima McDowell Mountain is now opening in phases near Scottsdale Road & Loop 101. The six-building project is planned for approximately 1,330 luxury apartments & condominiums, putting rental housing & condo ownership inside the same development. Optima currently lists the project as leasing.

A little farther south, Optima Kierland has already established that model on a large scale. Its five towers include luxury condo buildings plus three apartment towers. The newest rental tower contains 216 residences.

For an athlete, executive, physician, or other client who wants high-end housing without buying immediately, this section of North Phoenix & North Scottsdale already provides several routes.

Then more keep coming.

One Scottsdale Keeps Building Across The Corridor

Cross Scottsdale Road & another residential cluster appears.

The One Scottsdale master plan continues filling in near Loop 101.

Portico brought 112 luxury condos to the development. Atavia adds another 88 residences. The Beverly brought 314 luxury apartments into the master plan.

Additional condominium development is also being considered as One Scottsdale continues building out.

This is why we keep treating Scottsdale Road & Loop 101 as one connected real estate story instead of a collection of unrelated projects.

The residential choices are stacking up around the employment centers.

The Project's Location Is Top Notch

Cavasson Adds Another Ownership Option

Keep moving east toward Hayden Road.

Cavasson has grown into another major mixed-use center with corporate offices, apartments, hotels, restaurants, & new residential projects.

Toll at Cavasson adds more than 130 luxury townhomes inside the development.

That matters because someone relocating into this corridor no longer has to choose between one or two housing formats.

A renter can look at a luxury tower.

A buyer can look at a condo.

Someone wanting more separation can look at a townhome.

Another buyer may head west toward Tellaro for a detached home.

The housing map is getting deeper.

Mayo Adds A Completely Different Employment Base

Then there is Mayo Clinic.

Mayo announced a nearly $1.9 billion expansion of its Phoenix campus, adding approximately 1.2 million square feet of space. The project represents Mayo Clinic's largest investment in Arizona.

Nearby, Discovery Oasis is planned as a 120-acre biotechnology district adjacent to Mayo Clinic & the ASU Health Futures Center.

Mayo says recruitment is underway for life-science companies interested in locating within the district.

That means this section of North Phoenix is adding housing while major employers are adding medical, research, corporate, & professional positions around it.

The Cardinals bring another employment anchor from the east.

CityNorth keeps building.

Headquarters Alley keeps filling in.

The map keeps getting tighter.

NFL Ownership Is The Hook But Location Is The Story

We started here because NFL owners planning luxury apartments near Desert Ridge sounds pretty wild.

And it is.

But once you pull the map out, the bigger story becomes obvious.

You have Desert Ridge adding more housing.

Tellaro adds new gated homes.

CityNorth keeps growing.

The Arizona Cardinals are moving their football & business operations into Paradise Ridge.

Dignity Health is coming with them.

Mayo Clinic is spending nearly $1.9 billion nearby.

Discovery Oasis is building a biotech district.

Optima McDowell Mountain is adding luxury rentals & condos.

One Scottsdale keeps filling in.

Cavasson keeps adding another layer.

Now an NFL ownership family is adding 504 luxury apartments to the mix.

That is why we keep watching this part of "The Valley."

The projects may have different owners.

They may serve different buyers, renters, employers, & visitors.

But on the map?

They are getting awfully close to one another.

Stay tuned here on LUXE BLOG for future news, info, and tips.