By Nicole Charlie and 
Stacey Gubser
Community Development Department

“Staying at home” in 2020 already has a different feel than it did just months ago. Many of us are finding ourselves at home all day, juggling the needs of family, school and work while attempting to find some sense of normal. The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community has a growing need for more places to call home for Community members of all economic backgrounds: young people looking for their first place to live, newlyweds preparing to start a family, newly single people looking for a fresh start, and others looking to move home to the Community.

Combining information from Community members in a 2008 Arizona State University study with newly collected data from the McKellips Corridor development outreach events shows that many Community members would like to have more housing options for their families. This includes apartments and options for members who do not have home sites. Council and various Community departments have been working diligently to create several new housing opportunities in 2020 and beyond. These developments are made possible by revenues generated from sales at the Scottsdale AutoShow at Salt River. 

Below, is an overview of these new housing options and know that progress is being made to achieve additional places to call home in SRPMIC:

Multifamily Development: This development is “in the works” and will bring all-age, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartment living to the Community. SRPMIC is working with a successful national residential developer to create a multifamily community just east of Scottsdale Community College. This property will be comparable to properties found in surrounding areas and will include various amenities such as a clubhouse, covered parking, a greenspace, barbecue area, ramadas and a playground. Rental rates will be approximately 10% lower than comparable properties across the street. The Community is in lease negotiations with the national developer. 

Rental Options in Mesquite Trails/Canalside: This housing opportunity consists of 4.5 quadplexes, which are buildings consisting of four units per building, for a total of 18 new units. Each unit will have two bedrooms, two bathrooms, an open concept living room/kitchen area, in-unit laundry room and a two-car carport. These quadplexes will use an updated design based on the two existing quadplexes currently located in Mesquite Trails. The rental rate of these units will reflect similar rental property rates elsewhere in the Valley. Designs and construction documents are in progress. 

Pre-Fab Homes: There is an opportunity to bring the reimagined world of manufactured homes to SRPMIC. In 2019, the Community was introduced to CAVCO Homes, a local manufactured brand. A tour of CAVCO’s facility displayed an updated and high-quality housing option. It was evident during the tour that CAVCO is producing a much higher quality of home than most people perceive when hearing the terms “prefab” and “manufactured homes.” CAVCO prides itself on quality, modern and efficient homes that feature items such as kitchen islands, pantries, hardwood cabinets, 8-foot ceilings, drywall finish and much more. Since this tour, Community departments have been working with CAVCO to design manufactured homes specific to the Community’s needs and location. For instance, one design choice is using stucco and paint versus siding to promote a longer life and easy maintenance.

The Community will be piloting a manufactured/pre-fab housing development at Lonely Cactus. This small development will consist of three two-bedroom, two-bathroom manufactured housing units at Lonely Cactus. These new rental homes will be designated for seniors and/or those with disabilities. 

By adding new homes to Lonely Cactus, the Community will be able to provide additional homes and “test drive” new manufactured housing from CAVCO. This pilot effort will give the Community a chance to see these homes, test their quality and determine the most cost-effective construction process to ensure a long life and options to offer to Community members for possible future purchases. 

Council and Community departments know that these new options are just the start of many future housing opportunities within the Community. Along with these new developments, significant work is underway to find possible locations for new subdivisions to offer both rental and ownership homes for Community members to continue addressing the housing needs anticipated in the coming years. For now, though, Council and Community departments are excited to bring forth these high-quality developments to meet the needs of the Community and provide more options for members to come home and live on the Community.