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SunCor Development Company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pinnacle West Capital  Corporation. SunCor’s main activities involve acquisition, development, construction, operation, and sale of residential and commercial properties in the western United States, as well as golf course management. With a current asset base in excess of $450 million and a net worth of more than $300 million, SunCor has thousands of acres under development in Arizona, Idaho, New Mexico and Utah, and holds tens of thousands of acres yet to be developed. Previous projects and management contracts have also taken SunCor into California and Mexico.
"Our logo and tag line, The Art of Place, exemplify our commitment to creating balance between the artistic and aesthetic values of our communities and the reliability of our construction”
-Steve Betts, SunCor President and Chief Executive Officer
Backed by significant financial resources, SunCor continues to break new ground, building and maintaining projects that represent aesthetic value, top-quality construction, and superior property management. For more background about our company, please click here.
Dedicated to the environment and sustainable living
One of the Southwest's premier developers, SunCor provides exceptional, meticulously planned environments. The company is known for developing integrated communities that protect the beauty of nature and offer superior places to live, work, and play.
As an investment builder, SunCor is deeply committed to the long-term value of all of its projects, overseeing developments that combine aesthetic qualities, well-planned infrastructure, and the highest quality in materials and construction. SunCor is implementing innovative actions, such as being one of the first developers to offer New Ruralist style communities and solar power as an option at our Rancho Viejo community. Listed below are some of the best practices sustainability initiatives that SunCor applies to its communities:
Preservation and Enhancement of native landscapes and habitats
In all of its latest Master Plans SunCor is preserving from 45 percent to 60 percent of the natural open space saving thousands of acres of drainage basins, wetlands, hillsides and hill tops, wildlife habitat and wildlife migration corridors.
- Lands disturbed by past agriculture and grazing are being revegetated with native plants
- Stream channels have been restored to provide protection from soil erosion and better habitat for native plants and animals
- Developed a No-Net-Loss Wildlife Mitigation Plan for Avimor community in Boise
Water conservation
SunCor has been diligent in designing communities that conserve our valued water resources. These include:
- Reducing surface water runoff with using methods such as:
- Rainwater harvesting (infiltration) in medians and retention areas
- Porous paving materials such as pavers (driveways at Hayden Ferry and Avimor)
- Reducing roadway widths and non-porous surfaces in nearly all new master plans
- Reusing water with residential cisterns and use of community effluent in parks and common areas.
- Limiting water use by minimizing lawns in parks and common areas, particularly in our arid desert communities.
- Community landscaping with native species and xeriscaping; significant recharge projects (including an injection well); use of effluent from residences for golf course irrigation; dual irrigation systems; and installation of conservation devices, such as low-flow toilets.
Reducing community automobile dependency
Most of SunCor’s latest master planned communities are mixed-use and have a clustered development pattern. In this way they are designed to offer shopping, working and recreation within walking distance of most residents. Furthermore an emphasis on providing convenient and safe non-motorized transportation options is attained in our Master Planned communities though practices such as:
- Extensive trail systems
- Bike lanes and facilities for bike commuters
- Tree lined streets for pedestrian comfort
- Safe roadways crossings and streets designed to reduce vehicle speed
Resource and Materials Conservation
SunCor uses many methods to conserve land resources the use of construction materials. These practices include:
- Setting aside lands and resources for preservation
- Employing new technology to stabilize soils and protect from wind and water erosion
- Salvaging native plants and revegetating plant materials into parks and common areas
- Reduction of construction waste
Building Efficiencies and Technology
In the homebuilding division SunCor strives to build homes that are a step above its competitors. While all of its communities have differing needs much of what SunCor does exceeds that of the competition or municipal code requirements.
- Within the scope of our Energy Star program, we perform energy inspections that exceed requirements of the municipalities
- We install thermostats that provide not only energy efficiency but also help to improve the quality of indoor air
- We install higher efficiency heating and cooling equipment
- We use increased insulation values
- We use lower maintenance and longer lasting materials, things like low maintenance all cementitious exteriors, higher quality roofing materials
- We install low water use plumbing fixtures
Energy Conservation (not including building energy efficiencies)
Use of on-site construction materials such as sand, gravel, topsoil and stone to reduce energy needed for transportation
- Increased use of teleconferencing to reduce employee travel
- Orientation of homes and buildings to maximize energy efficiency (StoneRidge and Avimor)
Pollution reduction
SunCor works to reduce the pollutants that communities generate such as dust, emissions, noise, fertilizers and light. Our new communities have implemented several practices aimed at pollution reduction.
- Limited street lighting and use of “cut-off “street lights that limit light pollution into the night skies
- Dust mitigation for surfaces prone to wind erosion
- Multi-modal transportation systems that encourage biking and walking thereby reducing emissions and noise.
- Management of fertilizer applications in parks, golf courses and common areas
Future conservation measures
SunCor is continuing to find ways to be good stewards of its resources. Here are several things that SunCor is exploring.
- On-site nurseries to limit transportation of materials and save energy
- Bioengineering techniques to stabilize slopes
- LEED Certified commercial construction (Hayden Ferry Lakeside Tower III and Conference Center)
- Use of bio-swales to reduce surface water and provide infiltration
- Integration of agriculture and/or viticulture into our “New Ruralist” communities
- Use of porous concrete for streets, drives and sidewalks
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