"On the far edge of suburban Phoenix, a giant concrete arch spans the Central Arizona Project, dubbed a "Bridge to Nowhere" by developers and neighborhood activists alike. Nobody can use it; even pedestrians are barred by a chain-link fence sporting a huge "Road Closed" sign. To the bridge's north, the desert sits as raw as ever. The bridge was built in recent years to connect an existing subdivision to the planned North Star Ranch and its proposed 9,600 homes."
"But now, this development is on hold over concerns that there's not enough groundwater to supply the community. And it's not the only project: High Country News found that almost half a million homes, including thousands in North Star, are currently on pause, far more than developers or local elected officials have acknowledged publicly. Developments like North Star have long represented the future of housing for local developers and prospective homebuyers."
A newly built concrete bridge stands unused at the edge of suburban Phoenix, intended to connect existing neighborhoods to the planned North Star Ranch and its proposed 9,600 homes. The North Star project and many other master-planned developments in fast-growing Buckeye are on hold due to concerns about insufficient groundwater. State modeling in June 2023 concluded that Phoenix-area groundwater had reached anticipated growth limits, prompting the Arizona Department of Water Resources to stop issuing new groundwater-based water-supply certificates. Almost half a million homes across the region are currently paused, straining growth expectations and leaving built infrastructure stranded.
Read at High Country News
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