Brookfield Homes Cuts Ribbon on Audie Murphy Development

Menifee Mayor Scott Mann joins other dignitaries in cutting the ribbon on the Big Sky Development.

The crowd of City of Menifee dignitaries, Brookfield Homes administrators and prospective home buyers gathered on a quiet street in west Menifee Saturday was considerable in size -- with good reason.

After more than 20 years of planning, delays, and changes in the housing market, the Audie Murphy Ranch development has become reality.

Mayor Scott Mann joined Brookfield Homes Chief Operating Officer Adrian Foley, Vice President Dennis Chapman and other officials in the ribbon cutting for Brookfield's Big Sky development, which will include 93 new one- and two-story homes ranging from 2,800 square feet to 3,800.

Big Sky is the second community to open in Audie Murphy Ranch, a development that will eventually include 2,100 homes on both sides of Newport Road, just west of Murrieta Road.

Brookfield Homes is the master plan developer for Audie Murphy Ranch, named for the famous war hero and actor whose ranch occupied that area for years. Brookfield has sold parcels in the development to two other builders: Woodside Homes, which recently opened the Cimarron and Laredo communities; and Richmond American Homes, which will open model homes in the Palomino community next month.

According to the Audie Murphy Ranch website, home prices in the Big Sky community are expected to begin in the low $300,000s.

"This adds to the marketing mix of quality housing in Menifee," Mann said after the ribbon cutting ceremony. "It helps unlock the future of community development in our city. In order to bring in big box stores, movie theaters and such, you have to have a commitment of a certain amount of homes in your city. This will bring enough people here to attract those businesses."

Councilman John Denver, Mayor Scott Mann, Brookfield VP
Dennis Chapman and COO Adrian Foley attended the event.

Mann and others admitted there was doubt at times that this would ever take place. The Audie Murphy Ranch development was first approved more than 20 years ago, but construction never really got off the ground because of several factors. The discovery of Native American artifacts on the land and a downturn in the housing market were just two causes of delays.

All that was put in the past Saturday, as visitors toured three spacious model homes in the Big Sky development.

"The original Big Sky Resort is in Montana, but the feeling you get here is similar to that," said Carina Hathaway, vice president of marketing for Brookfield Homes. "Look at the great view of the hills behind you and the valley ahead. The environment here is special."

"We started with an old specific plan, then went to a clean sheet of paper to plan this," Chapman said. "This was home to Audie Murphy, and a lot of the core values he represented were brought to this project."

Big Sky's model homes feature spacious and modern living spaces.

This outdoor patio behind one of the model homes was a major attraction Saturday.