Cave Creek's Oldest Commercial Corner Is Finally Being Built

The largest piece of new commercial construction in Cave Creek this fall is on a corner that got its zoning before the town did. Black Mountain Marketplace is a 13-acre development at the southeast corner of Cave Creek Road and Carefree Highway. The Town of Cave Creek described it on September 23, 2026, as "taking shape," and it says the land was zoned commercial before Cave Creek incorporated in 1986. In other words, the newest project on the map is also the oldest commercial promise in town.

Up the road, newness looks different. In the village core and Frontier Town, the season's additions are small and owner-run. One of them grew by splitting into two shops. The town is filling in at its southern edge with pad sites and an anchor tenant, while the historic stretch of Cave Creek Road adds a room at a time. Both are happening this fall, and each tells you how the other is changing.

Forty Years of Waiting at the Southeast Corner

The Town's account of the project is unusually direct about how long this was coming:

"This intersection has long been envisioned as a vital commercial hub for Cave Creek, as evidenced by the longstanding zoning entitlement."

The paperwork moved fast in 2026. According to the Town Council minutes for May 5, 2026, the site plan was approved in March, and a building permit application had been filed by early May. At its May 19 meeting, the council approved a transfer-of-development-rights agreement for what the minutes describe as a nine-lot commercial project.

The density transfer is the detail most likely to matter to people who look at Black Mountain every day. The Town says that to meet zoning requirements, several acres of residential-zoned land on Black Mountain were bought and kept as open space, which protects the mountain's slopes and view corridors. So the shopping center at the base of the mountain came with a commitment that the mountainside behind it stays undeveloped.

Water is the other point the Town addresses head on. Its release says the City of Phoenix will supply water for development south of Carefree Highway, so Cave Creek's own water resources are not affected. In a town where water is a recurring civic topic, that line explains a lot about why the south side of Carefree Highway is where large-footprint commercial building can happen.

What Is Actually on the Site Right Now

Some things are confirmed at Black Mountain Marketplace and some are still marketing copy. As of early October 2026:

• Developer: Evergreen Devco, which calls the project its newest Mountainside Fitness-anchored shopping center.
• Confirmed tenant: Mountainside Fitness is the only named tenant in any source we found.
• The other eight lots: Council minutes describe a mix of retail and restaurants. The Town said in September that several tenants are still in negotiations.
• Pad uses: Evergreen is still offering pads for ground lease, with drive-thru, convenience, and automotive uses permitted.
• Native plants: The developer prepared a Native Plant Inventory and a Salvage Plan, and cacti and trees were salvaged for later use on the site under Town inspection. The Town reports that more plants turned out to be salvageable than expected.
• Opening date: None has been announced. Neither the Town nor the developer has published a completion schedule.

Evergreen's leasing page calls the intersection the most dominant in its trade area. That's the language of a leasing pitch, and the restaurant and retail lineup will become real only as tenants sign. For now, the clearest picture of this corner is a fitness anchor, eight open lots, and a nursery of salvaged saguaros and trees waiting to be replanted.

A Brewery Running on Its Own Clock, Just South of Carefree Highway

The southern edge has a second project, and this one comes with names and a story. Desert Hills Brewing Co. is under construction near the northeast corner of 53rd Street and Olesen Road, just south of Carefree Highway. Owners Danny and Jessica Frusciano are building it from the ground up.

The plans include a 1,238-square-foot taproom, a covered patio, an outdoor bar, and a beer garden. The taproom is planned with 20 taps, a dozen or more of them pouring beer brewed on site, plus guest beers from local breweries, hard teas, and seltzers. Danny started brewing with his brother in their mother's Michigan garage in 2001. The couple found the property in 2022, and the years since went to financing and permitting before construction could begin.

That timeline is a useful counterweight to the pace of Black Mountain Marketplace. A small, owner-built project took about four years to get from land purchase to framing, and its opening date is already moving. On September 11, 2026, Valley Vibe reported a target of late December or early January. What Now Phoenix's report on October 2 put it at a tentative mid-January 2027, and noted that construction and permitting are still underway. A January opening is a reasonable thing to plan around, but it isn't settled yet.

Back Up the Road, the Core Grows by Dividing

Back in the village, growth this fall came from businesses getting smaller and more numerous. It wasn't new square footage.

Local Finds, an artisan co-op that, according to owner Shawn Ellis in City Sun Times, represents 12 local women artists and artisans, split its original shop into two locations. Both were reported open by Labor Day weekend. One shares space with Seared Living at 100 Easy St., in Carefree's post office building. The flagship is at 6245 E. Cave Creek Road in Frontier Town. One small shop now has a presence in both towns. On a single errand you can find the same co-op's handmade goods on Easy Street and again on the Cave Creek Road boardwalk.

The core's other addition this fall is Creekers Restaurant & Dive, at 6554 E. Cave Creek Road, Suite 14. The Cave Creek/Carefree Independent introduced the team in June: general manager Robbie Boccelli, front-of-house manager Caris Kuhn, and chef Ryan Leander. At the time, the restaurant was set to open in August. It's billed as a burger joint and dive serving familiar food. A review posted September 10, 2026, describes a visit on the restaurant's first day of soft opening, and another diner reviewed it on September 26. The exact first day of service hasn't been confirmed, and Creekers hasn't announced a formal grand opening, so check its hours directly before you go.

Taken together, the core is adding things you can walk into this week. The southern edge is adding things you'll drive to next year. Along this one road, the newest businesses in the village are already serving customers, and the biggest project at the edge still has eight open lots.

Where Each Project Stands as of October 4, 2026

Over the coming months, keep an eye on the tenant announcements at Black Mountain Marketplace. Those eight lots will decide whether the southeast corner becomes a place to linger or a place to run errands. The Town has said only that the mix will be retail and restaurants.

At Merritt Group Fine Properties, we follow how the Carefree Highway corner fills in, lot by lot, alongside the small openings on Easy Street and in Frontier Town. When you'd like to talk through what these changes mean for your own corner of Carefree or Cave Creek, Renee Merritt would be glad to sit down with you. Book an appointment at your convenience.