Hello Dreamerr,
JD Ranch is definetely off the beated path...for now. Your best bet for shopping is going to be the Rita Ranch area. Take I-10 west and exit north on Houghton road. There are shopping centers a few miles north. There is a Home Depot and Walmart projected for the area near the freeway off Houghton. There are some decent restaurants, mexican food, ice cream, etc. in the Vail area north of I-10 off of Exit 279. Try Montgomery's for burgers and sandwiches. The clubhouse, Hacienda Del Lago, near the Del Lago golf course has a nicer, more expensive menu, and wonderful breakfast! There is a Walgreens open in Vail now, and a Safeway anchored shopping center is in our near future. As for what's up and coming, you are going to have a huge commercial/shopping center under construction very close to you. Have you heard of the Passages Of Tucson? See link below. This is a very intriguing, unique concept! There will eventually be all kinds of businesses at this site, but it may take several years. Real estate in your area is substancially less than in some areas closer to town due to the fact that some of the creature comforts are still in the works. Be patient and make due for now. I hope you enjoy your new home. Take care!

Some ways to get more insight on these matters--besides contacting the developer(s) directly--are the following: check with the local/state zoning and planning offices, start attending the local community development meetings, check the local/county records office to see if any (and what kind of) permits have been filed, check with the AZ department of transportation to inquire about any relevant feasibility studies, and check with the local utilities companies to see if they're aware of any changes.

I was looking to buy in JD Ranch also- but it really does seem to be in the middle of nowhere. Was hoping that Passages of Tucson would be breaking ground, but everything seems to have come to a halt.
I'm also curious to know the answer to this question-- it seems that Pulte and Miramonte have a lot of empty lots or houses that are just framed in their Vail subdividions.