Grayhawk residents help build 7 playgrounds
Amy Brooks
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 18, 2008

SCOTTSDALE - Scottsdale's upscale Grayhawk community isn't lying down in the face of a slumping housing market.

Instead, homeowners are putting money back into their neighborhoods with $300,000 worth of state-of-the-art equipment for seven playgrounds. Two are done, the rest should be finished by mid-April.

Grayhawk resident Leslie Mouer said she's noticed a change in people of all ages in her neighborhood, Pinnacle.
 
"Everybody who drives by looks and has a big smile on their face," Mouer said. "It has made such a difference."

The 2,300-acre community is bringing decade-old play equipment up to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards and, said Clif Tait, president of the Grayhawk Community Association, telling Valley homebuyers that Grayhawk is on the cutting edge of Scottsdale's premier family communities.

"This association is solvent, it's got money, and it's investing that money back into the community," Tait said.

An Arizona Republic analysis, Valley Home Values, shows median home values in the 85255 zip code, where Grayhawk is located, rose 3.9 percent from 2006 to 2007 while many other Valley neighborhoods saw prices drop.

The median home price at Grayhawk is about $750,00, with housing ranging from $200,000 into the millions. Tait said Grayhawk isn't suffering as much as other Scottsdale communities, though home sales are down.

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