For 48 years, the most valuable stretch of shoreline in McCormick Ranch has been staring at a mirrored office park. Camelback Lake wraps around the south and west sides of 7501 E. McCormick Parkway, and yet the building sitting on it, Forever Corporate Plaza, has been closed to the water since 1978. Residents walking the greenbelt or paddling from The McCormick Scottsdale have known this for years. The lake is public-facing. The lakefront has not been.
That changes now. In June 2026, Diversified Partners closed on the property, buying it from Forever Living Products for $25 million, and the site is being rebuilt in phases as The Lakefront at Scottsdale. This is not a new pad on the edge of the neighborhood. It is a re-orientation of the neighborhood's single most underused parcel toward the water it was already touching.
The Thesis, In One Line
McCormick Ranch has had the rooftops, the golf, and the lakes for decades. What it has not had is a walkable, lake-facing commercial address. The Lakefront is the first project in the community's history designed to face inward, toward the water residents already own, rather than outward toward Scottsdale Road.
What Is Actually Being Built
The property sits at roughly 100,000 square feet of existing structure, and the redevelopment keeps that shell while completely reworking how it meets the shoreline. Restaurant spaces will occupy the south and west sides of the property, offering lakefront patios and views of Camelback Mountain, while retail storefronts will create an active pedestrian promenade throughout the development.
Here is the mix, drawn from the developer's leasing plan:
| Use | Count / Footprint | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Lake-facing restaurants | 4 spaces, ~5,400 to 10,400 sq ft | Three include patios of ~3,000 to 4,000 sq ft |
| Boutique retail | Suites from 1,200 to 5,500 sq ft | Jewelry, salon, med spa, yoga, pilates, wellness |
| Class A office | Suites from 940 to 14,000 sq ft | Existing tenants stay through phasing |
| Marina | Small, on-site | Duffy electric boat rentals |
| Arrival | Forever Lane | Dedicated valet drop-off |
Four waterfront dining spaces are planned right on the lake, with footprints ranging from roughly 5,400 to 10,400 square feet. Three of them add large patios, sized around 3,000 to 4,000 square feet, which should put the water front and center for guests. The retail plan reads specifically to the neighborhood's demographic: the eastern lakefront edge will carry the retail pulse, with jewelry, a high-end salon, med spa uses, wellness studios, yoga, pilates, and boutique retail suites from 1,200 to 5,500 square feet. It's a clean fit for the surrounding luxury residential base, and it keeps the shoreline active through the day, not only at dinner hours.
The design language is set. Walt Brown Jr., the founder, CEO and designated broker of Diversified Partners, has described the aesthetic as "modern Santa Barbara." Read that as pale stucco, white trim, deep patios, wood accents, and a shoreline paved for walking rather than parked over. It is a deliberate departure from the beige-stucco office box the site has been.
Why The Marina Matters More Than It Sounds
A rendering can make a small marina look like decoration. It is not. Additional waterfront features include a small marina with Duffy boat rentals, further enhancing the resort-style environment and providing a unique amenity for visitors and tenants alike.
For context on how the lake is used today: there are 10 lakes in McCormick Ranch, four of which are stocked with fish. Bass, bluegill, and even catfish are stocked twice a year. All lakes are catch and release only and a fishing permit from the McCormick Ranch Property Owner's Association is required. Camelback Lake is one of the anchors of that system. Adding Duffy rentals turns it from a scenic feature into an active one, and it does so without the noise or wake that would compromise the shoreline homes across the water. Electric boats are quiet by design.
The Timeline Residents Should Actually Track
Public conversations about this project have moved fast, and dates have shifted along with them. Here is the current sequence:
- February 2026: Diversified Partners announces plans, initially targeting a June 2026 groundbreaking at 7501 E. McCormick Parkway to swap out office space for restaurants and boutique retail along the shoreline.
- June 2026: The site sale closes at $25 million.
- Q3 2026: Construction begins in two phases, starting with demolition and renovation focused on the restaurant and retail environment, with the second phase anticipated to begin in early 2027 to continue the redevelopment of the remaining retail and office components.
If you live within the greenbelt and walk the path along McCormick Parkway, expect construction fencing on the lake side of the building through most of 2027. The upside is that phase one is the phase residents will use most. Restaurants and retail come first.
How It Fits Into A Weekend That Already Exists
The current McCormick Ranch weekend has fixed anchors. Brunch or an early dinner at Piñon Grill inside The McCormick Scottsdale, the AAA-rated resort at 7421 N Scottsdale Road that sits on 480 acres of pristine golf course within the McCormick Ranch Golf Club and is the only lakeside resort in Scottsdale. A round on the Palm or Pine course. A ride down the greenbelt, which per the community's own tally features multiple lakes and more than 25 miles of walking and biking paths. Kids at Mountain View Park, the 30-acre north-section park with playgrounds, three soccer fields, and a community center. Errands at the shops off Hayden.
The Lakefront slots between those anchors rather than competing with them. Coffee on the promenade in the morning. A pilates or yoga class before lunch. Dinner on a patio actually over the water instead of a patio pointed at a parking lot. A Duffy ride at dusk. That last one has genuinely never been part of this neighborhood's routine.
What Is Not Changing
A useful thing to know: the office component is not going away. Office space remains a major part of the plan. Existing tenants are expected to stay, which keeps continuity in the existing 100,000-square-foot building while phases roll out. Suites will range from 940 to 14,000 square feet.
Forever Living itself is staying, too. The project is designed to preserve the legacy of the property, and Forever Living Products will continue to operate its headquarters onsite, maintaining a connection to the site's long-standing history as it evolves into a dynamic destination. Diversified Partners is joining them. The firm plans to move its Scottsdale headquarters into the site, doubling its current footprint in the process.
The traffic pattern along McCormick Parkway should therefore look familiar during business hours. What changes is what happens at 5:30, on Saturday afternoons, and on the shoulders of a weekday when the lakefront was previously just parked cars.
The Developer's Read On The Community
Walt Brown Jr. has framed the project in terms that will sound right to anyone who has lived in the neighborhood long enough to have wondered when someone would do exactly this:
"This is one of the most exciting projects I've worked on in my career. The Lakefront represents an opportunity to create a true destination in Scottsdale, a place where exceptional dining, curated retail and beautiful waterfront spaces come together in a way that reflects the lifestyle and energy of this community."
The numbers behind the confidence are specific. Within a three-mile radius, the area includes more than 56,000 residents with average household incomes exceeding $205,000, underscoring its appeal for high-end tenants and experiential concepts. That is the same demographic that has been driving to Kierland or Old Town for lakefront-adjacent evenings the neighborhood could not offer at home.
The Small Details Worth Watching
A few items to keep an eye on over the next 12 to 18 months:
- Tenant announcements. With four restaurant footprints and a retail promenade to fill, the first three or four names will set the tone for the entire project. Coffee anchor, upscale steakhouse, casual lakefront patio, wellness studio, that first slate signals whether this reads as Kierland-caliber or something more neighborhood-scale.
- Path connections. The MRPOA greenbelt runs directly adjacent to the site. Whether the promenade opens cleanly onto the existing path system, or requires a detour around a service drive, will determine how much of the walking-and-biking traffic actually converts into stops.
- Boat access. Duffy rentals only work if there is a clear public route from restaurant to dock. Look for how the marina reads on the final site plan.
- Forever Lane operations. A dedicated valet arrival is unusual for a suburban lakefront and hints that at least one of the restaurants will position toward a fine-dining crowd.
The Read For The Next 12 Months
McCormick Ranch is not becoming a different neighborhood. The greenbelt is still the greenbelt. Mountain View Park is still Mountain View Park. What The Lakefront at Scottsdale actually does is fill a specific gap that residents have quietly worked around for years: an address on the water that is designed to be walked to, sat at, and lingered in. The fact that it is happening through adaptive reuse of an existing 100,000-square-foot building, rather than a ground-up densification, is arguably the reason this project is likely to feel like McCormick Ranch when it opens instead of like something imported from another zip code.
Watching this one closely is worth the attention. It is the most consequential change to the McCormick Ranch shoreline since the lakes themselves were dug.
If you own a home in McCormick Ranch and are curious how projects like The Lakefront tend to reshape resale conversations for lake-adjacent properties, the team at Daynes Development is happy to talk through what we are seeing on the ground. Contact us any time.
