PVCC at Black Mountain is situated on 10 developed acres of an 82-acre parcel of land owned by the Maricopa County Community College District at 56th-60th Streets and the Carefree Highway, the first phase of the campus for Paradise Valley Community College at Black Mountain has been developed through a public/private/non-profit partnership between PVCC, the Valley of the Sun YMCA, and the Foothills Community Foundation. The partnership enables PVCC to establish a presence in the growing community of North Phoenix, Carefree, Cave Creek and North Scottsdale well ahead of the Bond allocation schedule and provides an opportunity to participate in the multi-generational synergy expected from the activities of the three entities. This first phase campus includes classrooms, computer labs, student and faculty support areas, and administrative offices.

The college opened its initial 10,000-square-foot facility with six classrooms in the fall of 2009 in partnership with the Foothills Community Foundation and the Desert Family Foothills YMCA. The shared educational, community and fitness complex is known as The Black Mountain Campus. The college expansion project may fund approximately one or two new buildings on the site to expand classrooms and college class offerings for residents in the northeast Valley. Funding for the initial phase of development and the next $7 million phase comes from the voter-approved 2004 General Obligations Bond issue for the Maricopa Community College District. On March 29, 2011, PVCC held a public forum for members of the community to provide their input on this next phase.