Optima McDowell Mountain Village Breaks Ground in N. Scottsdale

Arizona Foothills Magazine

The sustainable residential neighborhood Optima McDowell Mountain Village in North Scottsdale has broken ground on its first building, which will be one of many within the development to offer unique desert living in the prime location of Scottsdale.

Located on 22 acres on the southeast corner of Scottsdale Road and the Loop 101 freeway, Optima McDowell Mountain Village is the newest Arizona residential development of award-winning real estate development firm, Optima, and is set to provide state-of-the-art homes, as well as all-inclusive, health-based amenities for residents and visitors.

Optima has partnered with real estate company Mitsui Fudosan America, Inc. (MFA) to develop the residential community’s first building, which broke ground this month and will consist of 210 rental residences. When complete, the entire Optima development will comprise six, eight-story apartment and condominium buildings that will include 1,330 luxury residences and 36,000 square feet of commercial and retail space.

“We are very excited to begin this partnership with an organization of the caliber of Mitsui Fudosan America that shares our commitment to exceptional design, the highest quality construction, resident-centric property management, and the creation of sustainable neighborhoods,” says David Hovey Jr., AIA, president and COO of Optima, Inc.

Designed by David Hovey Sr., FAIA, and David Hovey Jr., AIA, each of the six buildings will feature the sophisticated architectural detail that characterizes Optima’s Arizona projects, along with resort-style amenities, including: a rooftop sky deck with a 50-meter Olympic-length swimming pool; a sauna, spa and cold plunge; a running track following the perimeter of the roof; outdoor fire pits; lounge seating; outdoor kitchens with barbecues and dining spaces; and sheltering arbors covered with vines. Every rooftop will offer spectacular views of the McDowell Mountains to the east, vibrant sunsets to the west, Pinnacle Peak to the north and Camelback Mountain to the south.

The ground-floor level of each building will boast spacious, well-appointed lobbies in addition to a fitness center and yoga studio looking out to a lushly landscaped courtyard; a sauna and steam room; a residents’ club with game room and theater; an indoor basketball and pickleball court; an outdoor pickleball arena; a golf simulator; an outdoor putting/chipping area; indoor and outdoor kids’ play spaces; a massage room; a dog park and pet spa; and a business center and conference room.

In addition to premier Scottsdale living, Optima McDowell Mountain Village will provide residents with 36,000 square feet of commercial and retail space. The residential community is also ideally located near the shopping, dining and entertainment of Scottsdale Quarter and Kierland Commons and easily connects to Downtown Phoenix, Glendale, Old Town Scottsdale, Tempe, Mesa and Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport.

The community will be the first project in Arizona to be built under both the new International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) and International Green Construction Code (IgCC). Sustainability features include 75% open space that will be a combination of artificial turf, xeriscape landscaping and native plants; high-performance mechanical systems and solar panels; 100% underground parking to mitigate the heat-island effect; and the largest private rainwater harvesting system in the U.S.

The development will also feature Optima’s signature vertical landscape system, which provides self-containing irrigation and drainage and allows for sustainable shading using vibrantly-colored plants that create additional privacy, protect homes from the sun, filter the air and lower ambient temperature.