Buckeye's Verrado celebrates 20 years with Kool and the Gang. More development ahead

Verrado, one of Buckeye's many master-planned communities, is turning 20.

Dan Kelly, chief operating officer with Scottsdale-based developer DMB Associates, said Verrado is currently about 54% built out. While the population is about 17,000, that population will double to about 28 to 30,000 at buildout, Kelly said.

While Verrado has several signature events, Founder's Day is the most significant. That event occurs every year during the community's anniversary, Kelly said.

Kelly said the goal is to make the events comparable to a small-town gathering in the Midwest. Verrado is most often compared to Southern California and the Midwest, Kelly said, with many Verrado residents having relocated from the Midwest.

"That's the design philosophy behind Verrado: small-town community with a main street," Kelly said.

Verrado already has a unique feel because it is situated with views of the White Tank Mountains. But the uniqueness is taken a step further by the way different neighborhoods are built.

Instead of giving dozens of houses to the same builder in the same area, the builders are integrated. That means one street could potentially have four different builders and 16 different types of architecture, Kelly said, which contributes to the unique feeling of Verrado. That type of layout is seen in places like Irvine, Calif., as well as the Midwest, Kelly said.

Kelly said three aspects make a great community: location, architecture and community life.

And events like Founder's Day help to foster a sense of community in Verrado, Kelly said.

Founder's Day will take place all day on March 23 and 24. The event will include different events, such as a pickleball tournament on both days and a rib-cooking competition on Sunday.

But the highlight is always the concert on Main Street on Saturday night, Kelly said. This year, the headliner will be Kool & the Gang. But the genre always changes, with some past headliners including the Beach Boys and Train.

While Founder's Day used to be open to anyone, the community had to begin limiting it to only Verrado residents as the population grew due to fire regulations and capacity issues, Kelly said. But although the concert is already sold out, people would be able to hear the music walking around Main Street; they just wouldn't be able to get into the venue itself, Kelly said.

Since Verrado is only about halfway built out, there's still a lot more to come, Kelly said.

While there are many luxury single-family homes in Verrado, multifamily housing, like build-to-rent homes and apartments, will continue to be built. There will also be plenty more commercial development, especially in the downtown Main Street area.

Verrado will also continue to build unique neighborhoods, Kelly said. An example of one already built is the 55+ community Victory at Verrado, which is the most successful age-qualified community in the Valley with one of the highest price points, Kelly said.

Victory is known for its views of the White Tank Mountains. Verrado developed the neighborhood, and people building homes were able to choose between five different homebuilders.

Kelly said the community hopes to break ground in April on a new neighborhood that will hopefully be available for buyers in 2025. Verrado will begin to build farther back into the mountains. Verrado owns the sole rights to that land, meaning no other developer will have access to that area, Kelly said.

"We're going to build unique neighborhoods. We know there's a demand for them," Kelly said.

Reach the reporter at ahardle@gannett.com or by phone at 480-259-8545. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @AlexandraHardle.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Kool and the Gang to headline 20th birthday bash for Buckeye's Verrado