HOUSINGNEWS REPORT
AMAZON AND THE BATTLE FOR TOMORROW’S COMMUNITIES
We don’t know what the future will bring but Flint, at least, is trying to be part of it.
Third, there are always new competitors coming into the marketplace.
There’s no rule which says new communities can’t be created from scratch; it might actually be advantageous to do so. In the past we have seen any number of new communities such as Reston, Virginia, Columbia, Maryland, Greenbelt, Maryland, and Florida’s Royal Palm Beach, a property which originally included almost 65,000 acres. In a sense, Washington, D.C. was itself a “new” community, built in the woods next to Georgetown on the Potomac River. The attraction of a new town is that you can start fresh. There are no legacy pension costs to pay or century-old pipes to fix. The latest new town is Belmont in Arizona’s Maricopa County, about 45 minutes from Phoenix. Announced in early November, Belmont will include 24,800 acres and is designed to include 80,000 residential units as well as 3,800 acres of industrial, office, and commercial space. In addition, 3,400 acres will be set aside as open space. “Belmont,” says Belmont Partners, the developer, “will create a forward-thinking community with a communication and infrastructure spine that embraces cutting-edge technology, designed
“Belmont is an incredible opportunity for the state of Arizona. Envisioning future infrastructure from scratch is far easier and more cost efficient than retrofitting an existing urban fabric.”
GRADY GRAMMAGE, JR. BELMONT PARTNERS
“Belmont is an incredible opportunity for the state of Arizona,” explains Belmont’s Grady Gammage, Jr. “Envisioning future infrastructure from scratch is far easier and more cost efficient than retrofitting an existing urban fabric.” Alternatively, if you’re in a community with a lot of “existing urban fabric,” still- another competitor for jobs and people is not likely to brighten your day.
around high-speed digital networks, data centers, new manufacturing technologies and distribution models, autonomous vehicles and autonomous logistics hubs.” If Belmont seems like a city of the future developed by a high-tech innovator you’re on to something. According to The Arizona Republic, the project is backed with an $80 million investment from a group controlled by Microsoft founder Bill Gates.
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DECEMBER 2017 | ATTOM DATA SOLUTIONS
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