DC RANCH
DC Ranch (Scottsdale, AZ) is a nationally acclaimed private golf and residential community situated at the base of the McDowell Mountains with panoramic views of Scottsdale and Phoenix. DC Ranch was developed with a serious commitment to the preservation of the surrounding Sonoran Desert. Thoughtful planning and careful consideration has created an aesthetically pleasing and environmentally sensitive community that effectively serves its residents, thereby contributing to DC Ranch’s core values of connectivity and healthful living.
DC Ranch is comprised of 25 neighborhoods, each belonging to one of four residential villages (Country Club, Desert Camp, Silverleaf & Desert Parks) each of which has its own architectural scheme and character. A variety of housing options are offered, including condos, villas, single family homes and luxury custom homes. Shared by all the residents are remarkable amenities offered at two community centers. Some of the features include lighted tennis and basketball courts, pools, playgrounds, exercise and fitness rooms, poolside and garden patios, meeting rooms for clubs, celebrations and events, a community-wide intranet, and a full calendar of activities offering an extensive range of programs, classes, workshops and seasonal events such as rummage sales, concerts, carnivals, pancake breakfasts, and fitness & lifestyle programs and events. DC Ranch features 47 parks (informal and formal) that encourage wildlife and provide shade and a place for residents and their guests to come together for visiting and playing. All parks are inter-connected with the paths and trails system that ultimately leads pedestrians, runners and cyclists to the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, the natural backdrop to DC Ranch. Two private country clubs (DC Ranch Country Club and Silverleaf) are located within DC Ranch along with several distinct commercial areas (with a number of office spaces) that offer numerous and varied shopping and dining opportunities.
History
At the turn of the century Scottsdale was a small agricultural town in the desert when the army vacated and closed Fort McDowell. The railroads and the speculators began to move in, including E.O. Brown from Wisconsin who claimed the acreage (in 1901) that would eventually become DC Ranch. He and his family chose a piece of land near the only perpetual spring in the McDowell Mountains (still producing today). At about the same time he purchased the DC brand and earmark from Doc Crosby (DC?). It’s speculated that he then established Desert Camp (DC?) for his livestock. His son “Big Brownie” continued to grow the ranch into a profitable business (the DC brand was used on the range until the mid-1990s). The first ranch house was located in the valley north of what is now Dynamite Road. Eventually a thick-walled, two-room house with a wood stove and fireplace was built nearby with windows and tufa stone bricks brought up from the original homestead near the McDowell Mountains. By the end of WWII, cattle ranching had changed dramatically. Huge ranching outfits had moved into Arizona bringing with them new business practices. Big Brownie decided it was time to team up with Kemper Marley, his childhood friend who was a skilled businessman and loved ranching as much as Big Brownie did. He proved to be invaluable. Together they planned to expand the ranch’s operations: Brownie put up his deeded land and Marley put in the cash, thereby acquiring much of what is now north Scottsdale. The next phase involved extending the original McDowell Mountains spring pipeline from Bell to Pinnacle Peak. In the 1980s DC Ranch partnered up with DMB Associates which envisioned a new kind of community designed to preserve the integrity of the desert environment. Following that, in the 1990s, the partnership teamed up with the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy, whose intent was to create a 36,000-acre preserve of untouched desert. In 1998 DMB sold to the City of Scottsdale 4,600 acres (more than half their landholdings) in the upper Windgate Pass area. The McDowell Sonoran Preserve (encompassing one third of the City of Scottsdale) is the largest urban land preserve in the nation. Every aspect of its architecture and landscaping contributes to preserving the integrity of the desert environment.
Golf
DC Ranch features two prestigious golf courses: The Country Club at DC Ranch and Silverleaf. The Country Club at DC Ranch is North Scottsdale’s premier private golf and country club situated at the foothills of the McDowell Mountains. The club's classic course was designed by Tom Lehman and John Fought. It offers a broad array of activities including tennis, fitness, swimming, exceptional dining locales and a variety of social events. Centrally located in Scottsdale the club is minutes from high-end shopping and world-class entertainment. Tom Weiskopf has crafted a signature course like no other for members of the private Silverleaf Club with its par-72 championship golf course winding through 8,300 acres of inspiring terrain and panoramic views (more than 4,600 acres of which are dedicated to open space of natural desert beauty). The 50,000 sq. ft. clubhouse features world-class spa facilities, pools and locker rooms as well as formal and casual dining. Guests gather here to enjoy the many unique life-enriching amenities and family-focused events.
Marketplace
Market Street features a main street theme incorporating 15 architecturally unique buildings and a variety of distinctive shops and boutiques, restaurants, neighborhood conveniences and offices all closely tied together. DC Market offers some of the valley’s finest dining, including Flemings, The Herb Box, Flo's and Grimaldi’s Pizzeria.
DC Ranch Crossing is a 27-acre mixed-use neighborhood center at the southeast corner of Pima Road and Legacy Boulevard. AJ’s Fine Foods highlights this casual neighborhood center that includes restaurants, retail, and other services.
Canyon Village is located at the northeast corner of Thompson Peak Parkway and Legacy Boulevard. It is made up of four distinct buildings located on 4.5 acres and includes approximately 100,000 square-feet of office, retail and restaurant space. The formal Mediterranean architecture takes full advantage of the project’s desert surroundings. Modern, original and creative, the luxurious courtyards and refreshing fountains of Canyon Village create a charming ambiance for the enjoyment of the office and retail tenants and their clientele.
