State Land Department News & Information

Arizona State Land Commissioner Selects LEND Lend Lease Communities as Lead Planning Consultant in First Phase of Largest Master-Planned Community in U.S.

The Land Known as “Lost Dutchman Heights” is Part of “Superstition Vistas”—275 Square Miles of Undeveloped Arizona State Trust Land

Sale of Arizona State Trust Land is projected to Generate Close to $10 Billion for Its Beneficiaries, Arizona Public Education K through 12 and Other State Agencies 

Denver, CO-September 28, 2005-Lend Lease Communities (LLC), the international community development company and a global leader in creating exceptional public/private community developments, announced today that they have been selected by Arizona State Land Commissioner, Mark Winkleman as planning consultant to the Arizona State Land Department (ASLD) to begin the process of planning, engineering and bringing to public auction approximately 1,650 acres of prime Arizona State Trust Land. The Land known as “Lost Dutchman Heights,” consisting of approximately 7,700 acres is the first phase of 275 square miles of undeveloped Arizona State Trust Land between cities of Apache Junction and Florence, Arizona, known as “Superstition Vistas.”  Since urban growth has reached the border of Lost Dutchman Heights, the area is now considered prime for development. 

The entire Superstition Vistas property is considered the “crown jewel” in the State Trust Land portfolio and could ultimately be home to a community of more than one million people. The future public auctions of the land are projected to generate close to $10 billion for the beneficiaries of the land, Arizona Public Education K through 12 and other state agencies. 

The relationship being created with the private sector to prepare Lost Dutchman Heights for master planning and the ultimate future sale ushers in a new era of innovation for the Arizona State Land Department.  LLC’s technical proficiency and more than 50 years of global experience working with both public and private stakeholders will help ASLD maximize the economic and social return from the planning and disposition of the land. This will serve to increase the revenue delivered to the beneficiaries of the land, Arizona Public Education and other state agencies.  The overall planning and pre-auction studies are expected to culminate in the first public auction of approximately 1,650 acres in July of 2006. 

Lend Lease Communities has formed strategic alliances with leading project-relevant organizations that also have local knowledge in order to provide ASLD with a team that has the best combination of local and international experience. The LLC team includes:  URS, an international engineering firm with a 200-person office in Phoenix; Elliott Pollack & Company, a Phoenix-based macro-economic firm; global planning firm, EDAW; Gammage & Burnham, a Phoenix-based law firm; and an Arizona real estate brokerage firm, Lee & Associates of Arizona. 

The LLC Team’s role will encompass due diligence activities, assisting ASLD in the pre-auction process, post-auction studies, preparing a master planning scope of work and drafting terms and conditions of the urban planning permit.  The due diligence undertaken by ASLD in conjunction with LLC will be instrumental in shaping Lost Dutchman Heights as a viable, long-term and sustainable community.

With a proud history of delivering world-class developments, LLC’s vast portfolio of successful projects worldwide is evidence of their ability to deliver sustainable communities that can meet changing technology, lifestyle and environmental demands.  One of their most recent projects, the $2.2 billion Army Hawaii Family Housing (AHFH) calls for the development of several communities on the Island of Oahu, HI, which house more than 20,000 service members and their families. The largest government privatization project to date in the United States, AHFH will also boast the world’s largest solar-powered community, providing approximately 30% of the communities’ electrical needs through photovoltaic panels.  AHFH, through Actus, will finance, develop, build, renovate and operate the site for 50 years.

Still another example of LLC’s unmatched ability in creating innovative designs and sustainable solutions for a large-scale international community development was the Sydney Olympic Village.  Consisting of a community for 15,300 athletes LLC and its partners developed a 21st-century model for an urban mixed-use community.  A landmark project in every respect, the project garnered several high-profile awards for utilizing alternative energy resources, recycled water systems, use of non-toxic plastics and plantation timber. The Olympic Village was later refitted by LLC as a true urban residential village and today is a thriving and highly desirable community. 

“I am very pleased to accept the Lend Lease Communities team application,” State Land Commissioner Winkleman stated. “The Team, headed by Lend Lease Communities, one of the most respected international real estate developers in the world, has the experience and financial capability to begin the process of the planning and engineering of Lost Dutchman Heights. The Team’s goals and the Land Department’s goals are the same: to create the blueprint for a vibrant community with quality infrastructure and public amenities while ensuring the maximum return to the Trust.”  

“Among Lend Lease Communities’ strongest assets are the deep understanding and dedication we bring to the complex process of master planning,” said Jeff M McHugh, President of Lend Lease Community Development LLC. “From engineering strategies for innovative sustainability, to securing opportunities for financing for large-scale mixed-use communities, we’re able to see the big picture and deliver extensive development solutions for our public and private stakeholders.  We’re pleased to work with ASLD in this capacity and in a way that benefits the Arizona Public Education System.”

About Arizona State Land Commissioner

Mark Winkleman, the Arizona State Land Commissioner and a member of Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano’s Cabinet, serves as agency director of the Arizona State Land Department and is trustee to more than 9.3 million acres of Arizona State Trust Land. The proceeds from the sale of Arizona State Trust Land are delivered to the beneficiaries of the Arizona State Trust Land Permanent Trust Fund—primarily Arizona Common Schools, K through 12.  In the past three years, the Arizona State Land Department has shattered every revenue record in the history of the State and has generated nearly $900 million in sales.

About Lend Lease Communities

Lend Lease Communities is global leader in public/private partnerships and mixed-use community development projects.  With more than 55,000 residential units in its U.S. portfolio, and 150,000 world wide, Lend Lease Communities and Actus Lend Lease, have created fully master planned communities throughout the United States.  Lend Lease Communities is a subsidiary of the Lend Lease global family, which includes Bovis, Actus and Delfin Lend Lease.  Global projects of note include: Army Hawaii Family Housing in Oahu, HI, Greenwich Peninsula in London, AOL Time Warner Center in New York, The Sydney Olympic Village, New York’s Grand Central Station.  Lend Lease Communities is Headquartered in Denver, CO.  Actus Lend Lease and Lease Communities employ more than 400 people nationwide.