Plans underway to build big master planned community north of Buckeye

NEAR BUCKEYE, Ariz. (FOX 10) -- Plans to create a community that will be larger than most Arizona cities are moving forward.

Douglas Ranch, which is planned to be built in the West Valley, could eventually be home to 300,000 people. It's an ambitious and expensive project, and it has the backing of a well known Arizonan.

Former owner of the Phoenix Suns and Arizona Diamondbacks Jerry Colangelo.

The community is being proposed north of Buckeye, west of the White Tank Mountains. The community would stretch from Jomax to Cactus from north to south, and run from 319th Avenue to 379th Avenue from east to west. In all, it involves 37,000 acres. The current residents of Douglas Ranch will be long gone by the time the development has reached the level Jerry Colangelo and his partners at JDM envision. They say the planned community will be unique, different and smart.

"Why would someone want to live there? We want it to be an experience," said Colangelo. "We want the central park to be an incredible opportunity. We want the paths that are going to be available for bikes and campers. Lifestyle, for sure, is a big, big component."

An area near 300th Avenue and Cactus is where the beginning phase of the master planned community will be located. In the end, Douglas Ranch plans to offer a a community center, a university, a 300 acre central park, bridge, and waterfronts. The list is long.

"So, this is not going to happen in a year or two," said Colangelo. "This is a slow progression to it smartly. You may change course during the course of a 20 or 25 year build up."

Colangelo acknowledges there are many questions about planning a large community of that size in the West Valley desert. One of the questions is about water.

"We are sitting on one of the largest aquifers in the State of arizona in Buckeye, right under our property," said Colangelo. "We have water for 100 years."

Homebuilders are expected to be in the area within the next three to four months.