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'Zombie Subdivisions' Coming Back To Life In Casa Grande

“Zombie subdivisions" left behind when the Great Recession collapsed the homebuilding industry in Casa Grande are coming back to life.

The partially built neighborhoods launched from 2005 to 2007 were left incomplete, some with water and sewer lines and even paved streets, the  Casa Grande Dispatch reported.

Now, with housing booming again in the city along Interstate 10 between metro Phoenix and Tucson, builders “first look at zombie subdivisions,” said city Planning and Development Director Paul Tice.

Tice said there were only about two builders active in Casa Grande two or three years ago but now there are 17.

“The short version is that all zombie subdivisions, except one, have come back to life,” Tice said.

Even the last inactive may be picked up in 2021 as some homebuilders have expressed interest in its lots, Tice said. “All our other vacant lots are under contract with building companies."

When the city's latest general plan was initially presented, city officials believed that two homes would have to be built daily until 2030 to accommodate the number of people expected to move to Casa Grande over the next 10 years.

Jill Ryan joined KJZZ in 2020 as a morning reporter, and she is currently a field correspondent and Morning Edition producer.