North Phoenix’s Desert Ridge to get 590 units in 2 apartment projects

Article originally posted on AZ Central on April 18, 2025

A Texas-based developer has begun two projects in Desert Ridge that will bring nearly 600 apartment units to that part of north Phoenix and is seeking to build something taller in the future.

ZOM Living began construction on two apartment developments in late March, the first projects for the company to break ground in the Valley. The apartments, called Azola Desert Ridge and Mezzo Desert Ridge, will have 416 units and 174 units, respectively.

Both are located along Loop 101 and 56^th Street, with Azola on the northwest corner and Mezzo on the northeast.

For the Azola project, the company owns 20 acres of land, and the development will use about 12, according to documents submitted to the city. ZOM Living is seeking the option from the city to build as high as 140 feet on the site, which would require review from the Desert Ridge Village Planning Committee, the Planning Commission and the City Council. The additional building height is consistent with the Desert Ridge Specific Plan but still requires review.

Company executives said the move could create some more flexibility for what could be built on the site.

“We are seeking the rights we have under the specific plan,” Jason Haun, senior vice president of ZOM Living, said. “It will be more applicable to the rest of the site, approximately eight acres. There are some things in consideration for what will go there, but nothing definitive.”

Desert Ridge allows some of the tallest building heights in the city outside of downtown and central Phoenix, and the area has seen an influx of growth as CityNorth, a mixed-use development led by Crown Realty Group, and the Mayo Clinic expansion take shape.

“The whole area has continued to grow a lot, with a lot of economic development drivers,” Haun said.

The first units in both developments are expected to be completed by the end of 2026, Haun said. Mezzo, the smaller of the two developments, will likely complete construction first, but units will begin delivering around the same time.

He said it is too early in the process to know the expected rents for the buildings but said they will be comparable to other developments in Desert Ridge.

The Desert Ridge projects are ZOM Living’s first in the Valley, but there are several others that will follow soon. The company owns land at 24^th Street and Highland Avenue in the Camelback Corridor and land near Camelback and Scottsdale roads, Haun said.

The company does not have a timeline yet for construction on those sites, but Haun said they would like to begin work on them soon.