Solera

Solera by Del Webb is a gated 55+ active adult community in south Chandler, Arizona, set at the base of the San Tan Mountains about 30 miles southeast of downtown Phoenix. Built between 2001 and 2005, Solera is intentionally smaller than Del Webb's massive Sun City communities — just 1,149 single-family homes — giving it the feel of a neighborhood where you actually get to know your neighbors while still delivering the full Del Webb resort-amenity experience. The community wraps around the Lone Tree Golf Club, a semi-private 18-hole, par-71 championship course designed by Darryl Wilson. Lone Tree winds through the neighborhood, putting many homes on fairway or mountain-view lots. The course includes a practice facility, fully stocked pro shop, and the Grille at Lone Tree restaurant and bar, which doubles as a casual gathering spot for residents. Solera also fields several in-house golf leagues, and residents can buy Silver (weekday) or Gold (full-access) passes to manage their play costs. Home design leans into single-level, low-maintenance ranch living. Del Webb originally offered 11 floor plans across three series: the Holiday Series (1,151–1,352 sq ft, the entry-level cottages), the Tradition Series (five plans from 1,516–1,895 sq ft with optional dens), and the larger Vista Series (2,184 and 2,421 sq ft, many with three-car garages and dens or third bedrooms). Every home has at least two bedrooms, two baths, and a two-car garage. Resales dominate now that all new construction has sold out, with updated kitchens and flooring commanding noticeable premiums. Roughly 15–20% of homes have private pools, and the HOA allows block-wall fencing for privacy or pets with neighbor sign-off. Social life centers on a roughly 24,000-square-foot clubhouse with a state-of-the-art fitness center, aerobics and dance studio, ceramics and arts-and-crafts studios, a grand ballroom for dances and performances, a computer lab, library, billiards and card rooms, and a full-size catering kitchen. Outside the clubhouse sit two outdoor resort-style pools (plus a lap pool and spa), four tennis courts, pickleball courts, two bocce courts, shuffleboard, horseshoe pits, basketball, and miles of walking and biking trails. A full-time activities coordinator runs a deep slate of clubs and interest groups — ballroom dancing, birding, book club, bowling league, bridge, bunco, canasta, Bible studies, all-denominations fellowship, poker night, garden club, quilting and sewing, pottery, plus an early-morning clubhouse coffee bar that doubles as the unofficial new-resident welcome committee. Location is a real asset. Solera sits along Riggs Road in what locals call "Retirement Row," within a roughly five-mile span of Sun Lakes, Springfield, and SunBird. The Loop 202 (Santan Freeway) is about five minutes north, putting downtown Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Sky Harbor roughly 25–30 minutes away. Chandler Fashion Center, SanTan Village, and Phoenix Premium Outlets are all within a short drive, and Chandler Regional, Mercy Gilbert, and Banner Desert medical centers are all close. For buyers who want Del Webb quality and lifestyle without the scale of a 10,000-home Sun City — and who want golf baked into daily life — Solera is one of the East Valley's most appealing options.