Ahwatukee · AZ
Ahwatukee Retirement Village
Ahwatukee's own 55+ community: 1,628 homes, single-level plans, and the Ahwatukee Recreation Center.
The option most people right-sizing in Ahwatukee never hear about
When someone tells me they want an active adult community, the conversation usually jumps straight to Sun Lakes, twenty minutes away. A great many of them do not know there is one inside Ahwatukee.
Ahwatukee Retirement Village is a 55+ community of around 1,628 homes at the base of South Mountain, built around the Ahwatukee Recreation Center. It dates back to 1974, developed by the Presley Company of Arizona as part of the original master plan that created Ahwatukee itself.
If you have lived in Ahwatukee for twenty years and want the amenities without leaving your community, your friends and your mountain, this is the answer.
Questions about your move? I'm glad to help.
The homes are the point as much as the amenities
Largely single-level floor plans on smaller lots, with considerably less maintenance than the larger homes that make up most of Ahwatukee.
That combination is genuinely hard to find here. Much of Ahwatukee was built as larger two-storey homes on bigger yards, which is more house than a right-sizer wants to look after. This community was designed for the other end of that.
The Ahwatukee Recreation Center
The ARC opened in 1974 and it is the center of the community rather than an add-on.
Three interconnected buildings hold two swimming pools, pickleball courts, and a fitness center with free classes including water aerobics, Zumba and Pilates. There is a grand ballroom for events, and a dedicated arts and crafts building with a woodshop plus spaces for stained glass, ceramics and painting.
Beyond the facilities there are over 40 clubs and groups, along with card rooms and table tennis. For a community of this size that is an unusual amount of programming, and it is the part residents talk about rather than the buildings.
Honestly, against Sun Lakes
This is the comparison worth making properly, because they are not competing on the same terms.
Sun Lakes is bigger and more master-planned. Five separate country club communities, five clubhouses, several golf courses, and a far larger amenity package. If golf is central to how you want to spend your time, Sun Lakes wins and it is not close.
Ahwatukee Retirement Village is smaller and less master-planned, with no golf courses of its own and a lighter amenity list.
What it gives you instead is Ahwatukee. The mountain, the trails, the community you already belong to, the same shops and the same people. For someone who has lived here twenty years, that is not a small thing to weigh against a bigger clubhouse twenty minutes south.
Also worth knowing about Sun Lakes: you do not have to be 55 to live there, as the minimum for a full-time resident is 40. Age rules differ between communities and between associations, so I confirm the current requirements in writing before you make an offer anywhere.
If this sounds like it might fit
Most people considering this move are three to twelve months out and are really trying to work out whether they want to stay in Ahwatukee at all. That is the right question and it is worth answering before you look at a single house.
Read the wider downsizing options in Ahwatukee first, including the case for leaving. I would rather you chose this because it suits you than because it was the first thing I showed you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a 55+ community in Ahwatukee itself?
Yes. Ahwatukee Retirement Village is a 55+ community of around 1,628 homes at the base of South Mountain, built around the Ahwatukee Recreation Center. A lot of people right-sizing here assume they have to leave Ahwatukee to find one, and they do not.
What is the ARC?
The Ahwatukee Recreation Center, which opened in 1974 and is the heart of the community. Three interconnected buildings with two pools, pickleball courts, a fitness center with free classes, a ballroom, and an arts and crafts building with a woodshop, stained glass, ceramics and painting. There are over 40 clubs and groups.
How does it compare to Sun Lakes?
Sun Lakes is larger, more master-planned, and has golf and a much bigger amenity package across five country club communities. Ahwatukee Retirement Village is smaller with no golf of its own. What it offers instead is staying in Ahwatukee, with the mountain, the trails and the community you already know.
What kind of homes are in Ahwatukee Retirement Village?
Largely single-level floor plans on smaller lots with lower maintenance, which is a combination that is genuinely hard to find elsewhere in Ahwatukee, where most housing was built for families.
Ahwatukee Retirement Village
Who governs it
More than one association applies here, which changes both the rules and the dues. Each one links to its own site so you can read the documents rather than take my word for it.
- Recreation association
- Ahwatukee Recreation Center The 55+ association at 5001 E Cheyenne Dr, and the reason the community exists: two pools, pickleball, a fitness center, studios and a woodshop. 480-893-2549.
- Master association
- Ahwatukee Board of Management The master association for the original Ahwatukee: 5,073 lots across 56 subdivisions, with its own annual assessment. 480-893-3502.
Dues and rules change, and which documents apply can depend on the parcel. Confirm both against the association before you write an offer.
Buying in Ahwatukee Retirement Village
The method
How we do it in Ahwatukee Retirement Village
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