By Catherine Sheffo | The Arizona Republic
Past Loop 101 and deep into the desert foothills of Scottsdale, scattered neighborhoods back up to boulder outcroppings surrounded by saguaros and washes, lit during the day by dazzling rays and at night by hundreds of stars.
It’s a homebuilder’s and homebuyer’s paradise. But residential building on the environmentally sensitive land has been slower to rebound since the recession than other types of construction. That’s because the land is the backdrop for one of Scottsdale’s longest fights — who gets to own, and live on, the Sonoran desert.
