New Peoria neighborhood expected to include 6,500 homes [Video]

PEORIA, Ariz. — Development has begun on a new residential community that is expected to bring 6,500 homes to the West Valley.

Castle Hill Partners recently participated in a groundbreaking event to commemorate the work that was beginning on the 5,300-acre community known as Saddleback, in reference to the nearby Saddleback Mountain range in northern Peoria.

The development will include 2,800 acres of open space for neighborhood parks and miles of hiking trails. Developers say thousands of saguaro cacti will be preserved and replanted so that the community maintains its desert aesthetic.

“The villages within Saddleback will be carefully situated among the rolling hills, providing residents with convenient trail access and desert views from their own private oasis,” John McKinnerney, principal with Castle Hill Partners, said in a statement.

Castle Hill …