Desert Ridge

Desert Ridge at a glance

Desert Ridge is a 5,700-acre master-planned community in northeast Phoenix, between the CAP Canal and Pinnacle Peak Road. The land was originally Arizona State Land Department trust land. Much of the community, including Sky Crossing, is in Phoenix ZIP 85050. Parts of the master plan extend beyond that ZIP, so we read the ZIP on the home in front of us rather than treating 85050 as the whole map.

The Loop 101, also called the Pima Freeway, is the freeway in the plan. The Desert Ridge Specific Plan places a village core along Tatum Boulevard and that freeway. The City of Phoenix Desert Ridge Specific Plan is the document for the acreage, the dwelling-unit figure, and the village core.

How Desert Ridge was planned

The community was planned under the Urban Lands Act, with Northeast Phoenix Partners as the planning permittee. Phoenix annexed the land and approved the Specific Plan in 1990. The Specific Plan calls for about 23,700 dwelling units. That figure is what the plan called for. It is not a count of homes on the market today.

The Arizona State Land Department auctioned the residential land in superblocks. The first of those auctions was in July 1993. Desert Ridge Lifestyles records that 25-year history of annexation, the Specific Plan, and the superblock auctions. When a buyer asks who "built Desert Ridge," the honest answer starts with the State Land Department, the City of Phoenix, and Northeast Phoenix Partners, and only then with the builders of a particular neighborhood.

Neighborhoods and home types

Homes in the master plan run from patio homes and townhomes to single-family houses. Neighborhoods inside it include Fireside at Desert Ridge, Aviano, and Sky Crossing. Sky Crossing was built by Taylor Morrison and Pulte, and Sky Crossing is in Phoenix 85050. We name those neighborhoods as parts of the master plan. A buyer still confirms the rules of the subdivision on the home itself.

Our Desert Ridge search is at desertridgehomesforsale.com, with pages for Sky Crossing, Aviano, and Fireside. Use those pages for the community-level search, and use this guide for how the master plan fits together.

Golf at Wildfire

Wildfire Golf Club at the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge has two 18-hole courses. The Arnold Palmer Signature Course plays up to 7,145 yards. The Nick Faldo Championship Course plays up to 6,846 yards, covers 174 acres, has over 100 bunkers, and is laid out in an Australian sand-belt style. Wildfire Golf publishes the club, and Marriott's JW Desert Ridge golf page is the resort source for the same two courses. If the courses are the reason for the search, we match the house to Palmer or Faldo after you have played or studied the yardages, not before.

Shopping, dining and getting around

Desert Ridge Marketplace and High Street are the shopping and dining anchors on this page. The restaurants we keep listed are Islands Restaurant, Roka Akor, and The Keg Steakhouse. Getting around is the Loop 101 and the village core the Specific Plan placed along Tatum Boulevard and the Pima Freeway. We will talk through a specific commute once we have a specific address.

Working with The Tackett Team in Desert Ridge

RealTrends Verified ranks The Tackett Team the #1 Mega Team in Arizona (RealTrends 2025), based on 2025 sales data: $222.88 million across 226 sides. Darren Tackett has been involved in real estate in the Northeast Valley for more than 30 years. The office is at 20551 N. Pima Road, Suite 185, Scottsdale, AZ 85255. Call (602) 622-1226 or contact the team. Darren's profile is at /agent/darren-tackett/.

Read this next to the Kierland guide, the North Scottsdale guide, and the Grayhawk guide.