Key takeaways
- A six-tower, 1,300-plus-unit residential complex in Scottsdale is opening in phases, with the initial building already open.
- Around 40% of condos in the second tower have been sold, as leasing continues in the first building.
- The more than 20-acre development includes 14 acres of open space, rooftop amenities, and a system designed to capture rainwater to repurpose for irrigation.
David Hovey Jr., president of developer Optima Inc., thinks his firm got ahead of the development boom taking hold in north Scottsdale and Phoenix.
The firm’s latest and largest project to date in Arizona, Optima McDowell Mountain, is located just off the Loop 101 freeway in Scottsdale — right in the heart of new activity from mixed-use developers, homebuilders, medical campuses and corporate relocations.
Optima McDowell Mountain is opening in phases, both to renters and condominium buyers, and has space for 1,330 residential units. The first of six, eight-story towers opened in 2025, while work and sales are well underway on the second tower, which will be for-sale condos.
Already, nearly 40% of the condos in the second building have been sold ahead of the first move-ins expected in May 2027, while about 65% of the rental units have been claimed.
These buildings can turn heads among pedestrians and drivers alike with their colorful exteriors. Optima McDowell Mountain can be spotted from the Loop 101 with its lush green landscaping.
Hovey Jr., who is also the principal architect of Optima, told Homes.com News that the resident pool at their communities is a mix of empty nesters, grandparents, downsizers, and professionals.
Future residents scoop up condos before building is finished
Hovey Jr. expects more professionals working nearby to make their way to Optima McDowell Mountain as more of it is developed.
Republic Services, Axon, ASM America, Sprouts, and even the Arizona Cardinals are among the users planning to establish or expand a corporate presence in the area along Loop 101.
“We’re getting people from our neighbors who are interested,” Hovey Jr. said.
Rental units range from 714 to over 2,100 square feet with monthly rates from $2,500 to over $10,000. The condos are planned for 727 to 3,237 square feet across one-, two-, and three-bedroom floor plans. Buyers can further customize their plans and combine units to create larger residences.
Each unit comes with a private terrace.
A search on Homes.com shows Optima’s condos are selling for just under $700,000 for a one-bedroom, one-bathroom unit and up to a three-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bathroom unit for $3.3 million.
Hovey Jr. expects the third building, which will be for-rent units, to break ground later in 2026. Optima will determine whether the remaining three towers will be for-rent or for-sale units.
When fully built, these six buildings will be on more than 20 acres in the Desert View neighborhood. Anchoring the development is a central courtyard with seating areas and fire pits; the complex will also have 14 acres of open space.
Hovey Jr. said Optima McDowell Mountain also offers the deepest amenity package among its Arizona communities, led by rooftop, Olympic-sized swimming pools in each building. Additionally, residents can access saunas, cold plunges and fitness centers. Retail stores are also in the works.
The community also has underground parking and a rainwater harvesting system that captures and stores approximately 210,000 gallons of rainwater in an underground concrete vault. That rainwater will be repurposed for irrigation in the community’s landscaping.
Optima designed the buildings and is developing and overseeing the construction of its projects. The company has built other Optima-branded communities in Arizona and in its home state of Illinois, according to its website.
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