SunCor Development Company 
SunCor Development Company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pinnacle West Capital Corporation (NYSE:PNW). The main activities of SunCor involve acquisition, development, construction, operation, and sale of residential properties, commercial properties and golf courses in the mountain west region of the United States. The company operates six business sectors: Community Homebuilding; Master Planned Communities; Commercial Development; Urban Mixed-use Development; SunCor Golf and SunCor Financial.

Backed by significant capital resources, with a 2008 asset base of $537 million and a net worth of $262 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 Mexico. 

“At SunCor, we are committed to creating enduring projects and  maintaining a financially stable company while implementing a wide variety of environmental best practices in each of our residential communities and commercial projects. We are continually exploring every option that enables us to both maximize profit and fulfill the highest standards of respect for—and stewardship of— the land we develop.”      --Steve Betts, President and Chief Executive Officer

Throughout its 22 year history, SunCor has earned a reputation among homebuyers, commercial clients, and real estate development professionals for conscientious design, construction, and operation. The record of success at SunCor results from attention to detail, regard for aesthetic value, top-quality construction, and superior property management – all made possible through the tireless work of an experienced team of professionals.  A commitment to excellence remains strong at SunCor, where the prevailing view is that continuing growth and success will come first to companies like SunCor that continue to find innovative ways to meet increasingly “green” demands of consumers at competitive prices. 

Emphasis on Value
The tagline of SunCor is “The Art of Place,” which is exemplified in every SunCor project.  Substantial thought is put into everything SunCor builds to ensure that all new construction complements and enhances the existing community, and values continue to build over the long term. 

This is apparent in SunCor master planned communities, which are built over the course of many years and within the highly-acclaimed planning philosophy of New Ruralism—embracing the freedom of the frontier, the security of a village and the convenience of a small town with nearby schools, shopping and services. 

In addition to a superb “look and feel” at SunCor communities, there is enduring underlying reliability.  Every SunCor community is built with the highest quality materials and superior infrastructure, including roads, sewers and water systems. These are the hidden elements that matter over time and distinguish builders like SunCor from others. 

An Exceptional Ethic of Environmental and Cultural Stewardship
SunCor stands out among it peer companies for its history of building with a conscience. The company has a record of doing things that lead to the next generation of sustainable building, of minimizing disruption to nature and of honoring the history—sometimes hundreds of years of history—of places in which it builds. 

For example, working cooperatively with Santa Fe County on the 11,000 acre Rancho Viejo master planned community in 2008, SunCor New Mexico introduced the first production model solar home in Santa Fe. The home demonstrated that solar heating/cooling technology can be built into a production house and made available to any prospective buyer at Rancho Viejo. 

Likewise, with the availability of sustainable water resources still a primary challenge in Santa Fe County, SunCor New Mexicosuccessfully completed a multi-year demonstration project, proving that water pumped from the aquifers of Rancho Viejo could be injected back into the same aquifers after use and treatment, and offset the impacts of well pumping. These findings could lead to changes in county and state policy regarding aquifer recharge.

Another example is the StoneRidge master planned community, in Prescott Valley, Arizona. This 1,800 acre community being built by SunCor Northern Arizona has won the prestigious Governor’s Archaeology Advisory Commission Award in Public Archaeology for outstanding work in a Private Sector Archaeology Program for preserving Native American burial sites.  Only one Governor’s Award is given each year, and it is “presented to those individuals and/or programs that have significantly contributed to the protection and preservation of, and education about, Arizona’s non-renewable archaeological resources.” 

In the case of StoneRidge, the award specifically recognized the significant efforts to preserve burial sites, including the mitigation of more than 60 cultural resource sites, the use of site avoidance and preservation through open space covenants, significant archaeological exploration, preservation of artifacts (many of which are now in museums), and repatriation of artifacts in conjunction with Native American tribes. 

Notably, through its efforts of archaeological exploration, SunCor Northern Arizona has helped identify significant cultural patterns of history, some of which had previously been nearly unknown. 

Land, Habitat and Wildlife Conservation
One of the greatest points of pride at SunCor is its commitment to the preservation and enhancement of native landscapes, wildlife and habitats. Perhaps most impressive, in all of its rural master planned communities, SunCor is preserving between 45 and 60 percent of natural open space, saving thousands of acres from development, including drainage basins, wetlands, hillsides and hilltops, wildlife habitat and wildlife migration corridors. 

At Avimor, a 24,000 acre master planned community just outside of Boise, Idaho, SunCor staff includes a full-time conservation director who carries out an innovative “No Net-Loss Wildlife Mitigation Process” that ensures overall quality and quantity of habitat are preserved. This is accomplished through enhancement of natural open space and conservation easements.

The effect of these practices at Avimor is the re-establishment of natural communities and the natural fire regime which also protects habitat while increasing safety. Residents of Avimor enjoy restored native sagebrush and bitterbrush habitat, which leads to stable populations of mule deer, elk, antelope and several species of birds, including sparrow hawks and loggerhead shrikes. Dedicated birders also can receive the assistance of the conservation director in “bird friendly” landscaping. Avimor residents also can participate in bird walks and big game surveys throughout the year.   

Additional SunCor practices in many master planned communities include:

• protecting, revegetating and restoring lands disturbed by past agriculture and grazing with native plants to reestablish the natural functions of the ecosystem; and
• rehabilitating stream channels to provide greater protection from soil erosion and enhanced habitat for native plants and wildlife. This process also improves water quality.

Water Conservation
In the arid west, great attention must be paid to the quality and quantity of water on SunCor properties. SunCor has a sterling record of securing, protecting, conserving and providing water.  Notable SunCor water conservation measures include:

• reducing surface water runoff with methods such as: rainwater harvesting (infiltration) in medians and retention areas; using porous paving materials; and reducing roadway widths and nonporous surfaces;
• use of community effluent for irrigation of parks, common areas and golf courses;
• limiting water use by minimizing lawns in parks and common areas and by landscaping communities with native species and xeriscape plants, particularly in arid desert communities;
• providing a concrete “wash out” system, that allows for water to filter out of the concrete wash in order to protect streams and waterways;
• initiating significant recharge projects;
• building dual irrigation systems;   and
• installing conservation devices such as low-flow toilets in residential properties. 

The Hayden Ferry Lakeside urban mixed-use project in Tempe, Arizona, is also the test site for a major manufacturer’s new waterless urinal and automatic dual flush water closet. SunCor plans to utilize these devices in all new commercial buildings, which is anticipated to save thousands of gallons per building per month. 

Clean Air and Pedestrian Friendly
Most SunCor master planned communities are mixed-use and have a clustered development pattern. In this way, they are designed to provide office, shopping, professional services and recreational activities within walking distance of most residents. 

SunCor emphasizes convenient and safe non-motorized transportation options through the inclusion of:

• extensive trail systems;
• bike lanes and facilities for bike commuters;
• tree-lined streets for pedestrian comfort; and
• safe roadway crossings and streets designed to reduce vehicle speed.

Hayden Ferry Lakeside, the signature SunCor urban mixed-use project and site of its corporate headquarters is an excellent example of environmental forethought. Located within two blocks of the new light rail system serving the Phoenix Metropolitan area, the proximity of Hayden Ferry Lakeside to the light rail system means that many employees working in its commercial buildings and residents dwelling in its condominiums can use the clean electrically-powered mass transit instead of driving.

SunCor also works to reduce pollutants such as dust and emissions in its projects and communities through the mitigation of surfaces prone to wind erosion. Other pollution reduction measures include:

• limiting street lighting;
• using streetlights that automatically turn off when not needed to enhance “dark skies”; and
• managing fertilizer applications in parks, golf courses and common areas.

Energy Conservation
SunCor builds homes, offices and other commercial structures that exceed municipal codes for energy conservation requirements in new construction.

While each SunCor community has differing characteristics, much of what is done also exceeds competitors’ efforts.  SunCor achievements in energy conservation include:

• using energy efficient Variable Air Volume Air Handlers in office buildings where possible, in lieu of less expensive heat pumps;
• performing Energy Star inspections that exceed municipal requirements;
• installing thermostats that provide both energy efficiency and indoor air quality;
• installing higher efficiency heating and cooling equipment;
• increasing insulation values; and
• using on-site materials for road construction and landscaping.

SunCor office buildings are, for example, fitted with energy efficient T-5 light bulbs for indirect lighting. This reduces heat gain, which often is attributed to artificial lighting.   Corporate practices also include use of teleconferencing and videoconferencing to reduce employee travel, and providing conservation education and orientation to homebuyers. 

Conservation of Natural Resources
SunCor implements many ways to conserve natural resources through wise use of construction materials.  Examples include:

• employing new technologies to stabilize soils and protect them from wind and water erosion;
• recycling cardboard by providing cardboard recycling stations for contractors at some master planned community construction sites;
• providing systems for recycled garbage collection at commercial and urban residential locations;
• salvaging native plants and incorporating them into parks and common areas;
• using lower maintenance and longer lasting materials, like low-maintenance all cementitious exteriors, higher-quality roofing materials and low-water-use plumbing fixtures;
• reducing construction waste through meticulous inventory and disposal processes; and
• using on-site materials for road construction and landscaping.

On the Horizon
SunCor continues to explore options to enhance the sustainability of its projects. The company adopts the industry’s best practices, and shares successes internally for broader use among other projects.  For example, with the experience of building an all-solar-home, SunCor is ready for the emerging demand to produce them on a larger scale. Other concepts SunCor is exploring include:

• creating on-site nurseries to limit transportation of plant materials;
• investigating new automatic light sensing systems in all new office buildings to reduce heat gains and energy loads;
• using bioengineering techniques to stabilize slopes;
• using LEED certified commercial construction for future construction at Hayden Ferry Lakeside;
• using bio-swales to reduce surface water and provide infiltration;
• integrating agriculture and/or viticulture into SunCor communities that incorporate the principles of New Ruralism;
• incorporating Firewise development and landscaping to protect residents, homes and communities from wildfires;
• educating residents about land, wildlife and water surrounding residential communities; and
• using porous concrete for streets, drives and sidewalks. 

For more information visit www.suncorAZ.com or contact the SunCor Corporate Communications office at (480) 317-6842.