Not much progress has been made at Douglas Ranch since last year, however, there are some ground-shaking new developments recently. It seems that Douglas Ranch has changed its name and will be now called Teravalis in Buckeye. This comes at the next stage of groundbreaking ceremonies that just occurred last October of 2022.
Teravalis: The biggest (little city) that could
On a sunny afternoon back on October 28, 2022, about 200 people were part of a groundbreaking ceremony located in Douglas Ranch. But oddly enough, this wasn't to headline the 34,000 acres of land that was initially going to be called Trillium. This ceremony was to break new ground on a completely new project that now includes 37,000 acres and will be a premier master-planned community.
If you've been following our coverage of the Trillium project, you'll likely have read that lots of promises and ideas on Trillium sound pretty decent. Lots of jobs are being created, more new residents and businesses moving to Buckeye, a superhighway to Las Vegas, and much more... But these concepts all seem to sound good with no real action that's visible. That is until something very remarkable happened.
And though the name change is not the only thing that's happened, there are specific dates that have already been revealed. Apparently, the new date set to see completion for Teravalis is late 2024. Among the highlights of what will be built over the 37,000 acres will include 100,000 homes to house at least 300,000 new residents. The first lot of model homes and available amenities that are being built will be ready in a little more than 1 year.
An additional 55 million square feet of commercial real estate is also part of the 37,000 acres that's been reserved for new businesses. In addition to the I-11 Freeway Project, this would further allow Teravalis to become the "Land of the Valley". Of course, there is that small bit where a community with 100,000 homes will develop over the next 50 years is hastily mentioned. And to top that off, innovative technology and sustainable planning are an integral part of Teravalis.
What will Teravalis look like?
Just like Walt Disney's EPCOT city of the future, the previous plans for Trillium not only looked similar but were a design that has all been recycled. The new plan is completely different and no one really knows how that will turn out. What we do know is that parcels of property are currently being sold to carefully selected home builders. This will continue until 2024 when lot development is laid down for construction to begin.
These initial model homes will serve as the gateway of potential residential designs for what Teravalis will look like. We also know that the Howard Hughes Corporation will play a key role in the overall design. Initially, the concept for Trillium included an elementary school, loads of parks and shopping outlets, a community center, and surrounded by residential homes. The new concept for Teravalis will be very different.
Officially, the opening date is set for model homes, and sample amenities are set for early 2025 with the potential for late 2024 if all goes to plan.
“In the game of states, people vote with their feet—and Arizona is winning. Since 2015, it has welcomed over 584,000 new residents and we don’t expect that momentum to stop anytime soon. This increases the demand for housing opportunities and Howard Hughes is answering that call.” - Governor Doug Ducey
The overhead view of a completed Teravalis concept has taken on a theme park aesthetic. It does feature many of the original ideas for the old Trillium design and perhaps goes above and beyond that model. You might say that several manmade lakes will be an essential part of this new design.
Where will all the water come from?
The extreme scarcity of water in Buckeye is also a big hurdle for this new project. This is why there have been rumors of abundant sources of groundwater directly below the property at Teravalis. An earlier estimate had stated there is enough water for the first 7,000 homes, yet Teravalis is proposing 100,000 over the next 50 years! So- where is all this water coming from? Worse yet- the potential for underground fissures could dramatically impact the land stability.
In fact, the Sierra Club's Grand Canyon Chapter issued its 2022 report card rating for Arizona's mismanagement of water. The governor was given an "F" rating which addresses these problems involving environmental issues. According to Sandy Bahr, another issue is not just with depleting water that cannot be replaced, it might also be considerably less than expected.
And though the original plans for Trillium have proposed that there is plenty of groundwater available, this new project does not address the water issues. To put this into perspective, Buckeye locals currently use 3.5 billion gallons of water each year for its 115,000 residents. The size of Teravalis would require three times that amount at an average of 10 billion gallons per year.
It seems this is certainly not living up to the innovative technology and sustainable planning that was being boasted at the groundbreaking ceremony last year. Local critics living in AZ are keen to point out that Teravalis in Buckeye is simply an unsustainable mirage. Ironically, local media is begging the question of whether or not Teravalis will move forward due to the water issue. Despite this, the Howard Hughes corporation is still moving forward with its current plans.
There are further calls for Katie Hobbs to release the Hassayampa Subbasin groundwater model report. This report would provide publically disclosed info on the real truth of what is hidden underneath the Teravalis property and how it will impact groundwater supplies to neighboring areas. Needless to say, the first 3,000 acres of Teravalis design model homes and amenities are moving forward with relatively no worry on the matter whatsoever.
The Teravalis project will likely seek out alternative sources of water as the information that was finally released proves a very different story. The 100-year assured water supply falls short of its initial findings by 15%! And other developments in the area that include the Sun City Festival and Festival ranch projects have cited deficiency letters to the government as to the sustainability of groundwater supplies.
As any resident of Buckeye or those living in the West Valley can agree, water is in short supply as it is. There have been previous plans to mix groundwater into the water from the Colorado River within a canal-type system, but this had failed. Another concept included using water from a water-soaked area of the Gila River which had proven to not be a good idea likewise. Since many residents in Buckeye rely heavily on groundwater, the limitations have only grown into a burden.
What the future may hold for extensive construction of the new Teravalis project is a frightening aspect of political aspirations and moves for expansion. But without a reliable source of water that supports a large community, a desert without water is still just a desert. AZ Junk Removal is located near this new groundbreaking development in Waddell, AZ; so we'll be keeping a close watch on what will happen next.