TOWN OF SAHUARITA
30 YEARS OF GROWTH
Town of Sahuarita 30 Years of Progress
By Christy Krueger
The Town of Sahuarita, set in the scenic desert vistas of Southern Arizona, has come a long way in the 30 short years since incorporating in 1994, in large part due to the insightful planning by its early leaders.
They laid out a vision that prioritized community, family and culture–all factors that have helped this bedroom community blossom into what it is today–a well-governed, inclusive town with top education, a quality lifestyle and a solid base for corporate and business growth.
Anchored by the masterfully planned, familycentric Rancho Sahuarita housing community, a thriving marketplace, a beautiful man-made lake, and a growing Town Center, Sahuarita is a place its thousands of residents are proud to call home.
growth, including that “the founding fathers had the wish to incorporate to have the local government be the decision-makers.”
It began with the vision of Bob Sharpe, who developed Rancho Sahuarita, its largest housing community that now encompasses more than 18,000 residents and 6,000 homes. The community includes access to a variety of parks, trails and is near schools and commercial development. Rancho Sahuarita’s ninth residential phase has started and will include approximately 2,000 homes.
“We create an environment where a business can get started as quickly as possible. It’s easier, faster and cheaper.”
– A.C. Marriotti Director of Fnance & Technology Town of Sahuarita
Armed with a new, comprehensive master plan and numerous amenity ambitions laid out in an upcoming bond election, the Town of Sahuarita is poised for the next level.
A Legacy of Local Leadership
“We went from 1,800 residents to 38,000 today,” said Sahuarita Mayor Tom Murphy, who credits several factors for the town’s exponential
“Part of Bob Sharpe’s vision was for a community with retail and commercial,” said Murphy. Sharpe donated over 100 acres of property for schools, and he donated the land where the town hall was built.
Sahuarita’s rapid increase has indeed been driven by this robust residential sector, along with plentiful recreation, good schools, parks and safety programs. The town is also known for its cultural and signature events.
“We have signature events like Fiesta Sahuarita, July 4th, Spooktacular at Halloween and
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Winterfest,” Murphy said. “There’s also Music at the Lake and sporting events. There are 15,000-20,000 people attending the big events.”
Added Town Manager Shane Dille, “when the goal is to create a well-balanced community, these opportunities need to be available for the residents, for their quality of life and health.”
An Eye for More Business, Annexation
A.C. Marriotti, the town’s director of finance and technology, said the nonresidential sector of Sahuarita’s economy is starting to catch up, with approximately 40% of the town’s total revenues now coming from businesses. Medical facilities have also flourished, with Northwest Medical Center, a Banner clinic and United Community Health Centers in and near Sahuarita.
Marriotti characterizes Sahuarita as business-friendly. “We don’t have impact fees or a business license charge,” he said. “We create an environment
where a business can get started as quickly as possible. It’s easier, faster and cheaper.”
And residents are eager for even more. “Residents want Trader Joe’s, every sit-down restaurant, goods and services close to them,” Murphy added.
Marriotti sees more commercial growth ahead as the town is able to add infrastructure and annexations. “We just got a $3 million federal road grant and we worked with a Pima County supervisor,” he said. “We hope to develop vacant land. The town doesn’t own a lot of land, but we help facilitate growth by working with developers.”
The town’s current goal is to annex land east of town with the help of the State Land Department. “Our growth opportunity is to the east with state land parcels. We’d like to annex it into our town and bring infrastructure.” Murphy said.
Another annexation in the works is for the Phoenix Zoo, which plans to build a research facility and safari park here. “We’re getting prepared for it on
the northeast side of town,” Marriotti said. “Some land is not in town boundaries, so we’ll annex some land. It’s a small annexation, but it’s important.”
Looking Ahead
Now that Sahuarita has reached a milestone anniversary, its leaders are planning for the next phase.
In November, residents will vote on Proposition 403, a $66 million bond program that, if passed, will fund infrastructure and recreational projects such as a recreation center, trails and town hall remodeling.
The town plans to contribute $10 million for a total of $76 million to be spread out over the various projects during an eight-year period.
While the Town of Sahuarita has a number of factors that make it an attractive place to live and work, it really comes down to the devoted residents. “There’s good participation, the community is very involved, and they’re engaged because they care,” said Marriotti.
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From left –
John Noland
Police Chief
Town of Sahuarita
Chuck Wunder
Fire Chief
Town of Sahuarita
Safe Bet Sahuarita is One of Arizona’s Safest Towns
By Christy Krueger
As the Town of Sahuarita continues to increase in size and population, so has its support systems including the police and fire departments.
Sahuarita’s leaders believe that if the town is going to continue attracting residents and businesses, it must live up to its slogan - “Making Sahuarita a safe place to live, work and play.”
John Noland was hired as Sahuarita’s chief of police 10 years ago after serving with the Santa Rosa Police Department in California for 30 years, and he’s substantially grown the Sahuarita department. “When I came here, we had 44 sworn officers and seven civilian staff members. We currently have 61 sworn officers and 18 civilian staff members,” he said.
To make room for this growth, the department is about to embark on an expansion of its facility at Sahuarita Town Center. “We’ve outgrown the police station, and the town recognized that. The police department will double in physical size to accommodate expansion needs for 10-15 years. It will help with retention of staff,” Noland said.
Some of his primary goals going forward include recruitment, retention and succession of officers. He said the nation’s political environment in recent years has made it more difficult to hire and keep officers. As a result, Noland has embarked on a promotional campaign. “We go to recruiting events, military bases, schools and we use social media and our messaging signs that we move around town.”
While attracting people to the field of law enforcement may be tougher these days, attracting residents to Sahuarita is not. Along with the relatively low cost of housing, plentiful amenities and family-friendly events, the town is also a very safe place to live. Safewise chose Sahuarita as the third safest town in Arizona for 2024.
“I’ll take that ranking anytime,” said Noland, “but crime happens even in safe cities. My job is to make it as safe as possible.”
Other safety programs provided by the police department include school resource officers who offer law enforcement services, security, and classes on responsibility; a traffic bureau with officers assigned to special traffic enforcement; and the addition of a criminal investigation bureau.
Significant to Sahuarita’s continued ability to attract residents has been the recent availability of medical facilities. This includes Banner Multispecialty Clinic; United Community Health Center, with multiple locations near Sahuarita; and Northwest Medical Center, a hospital facility affiliated with the Tucson hospital by the same name. “Northwest has been significant for us,” Noland said. “It’s a huge success for the town.”
Working closely with the police department to help make Sahuarita a safe community is the fire department, which recently had a name change.
“Since 1975, it’s been Green Valley Fire District,” noted Fire Chief Chuck Wunder, who’s been with the department since 1995 and is starting his 11th year as chief. “We’ve seen a lot of growth and our board of directors decided to change the name to reflect the area we cover. The name was changed to Santa Rita Fire District.”
The district currently includes five stations – three in Green Valley and two in Sahuarita, handling an estimated 15,000 calls per year. And Wunder expects to add more in the future. “We’re poised for growth. We’ll look at growth in Quail Creek and areas to the east as infrastructure grows. To meet response time, we need to grow and we need to support that growth.”
Santa Rita Fire District also has a special operation for wildlands firefighting.
Wunder strives to involve the area’s citizens as much as possible. “We have a volunteer-run program called Fire Corp Program with more than 80 participants. These are community volunteers who handle nonemergency calls, such as our smoke alarm and battery changing service. We work to get involved in the school district. Right now, we’re having Camp Nitro where we host summer camps to introduce high schoolers to the public arena for recruiting and to get the message out about public work as a career.”
Santa Rita Fire District hosts at least 30 public outreach events each month. “We do HOA presentations, CPR training to the public and healthcare providers, swift-water rescues in the summer and pool safety,” Wunder said. “We’re super excited about our growth – the future is bright. We want to make sure the public knows about our services.”
PHOTO: BRENT G. MATHIS
Sahuarita Advanced Manufacturing & Technology Center
PowerPhotonic
Hydronalix
La Posada
Grow and Prosper Town of Sahuarita Looks Forward to the Future
By Tara Kirkpatrick
With thoughtful leadership and managed growth, Sahuarita has the potential to become one of the premier suburban destinations in the United States.
That’s the consensus behind the town’s new master plan, developed with Austin-based consultant firm TIP Strategies, which outlines a comprehensive roadmap for building on Sahuarita’s threedecade success and aiming for the results of nationally prominent suburbs such as Scottsdale, Ariz., Round Rock, Tex. and Alpharetta, Ga.
“We believe that Sahuarita has the potential to be much more than a bedroom community,” said TIP project lead Luke Shuffield. “Whether it’s the existing and new industries that can be really innovative, whether it’s collaboration with the Tucson area, certainly the University of Arizona, foreign direct investment coming from the border of Mexico, there’s a lot to be excited about.”
Shuffield and his team visited Sahuarita several times throughout 2023 and worked not only with town officials and a welcoming economic development team led by Victor Gonzalez, but also spoke with numerous regional stakeholders in compiling the plan adopted in February. It focuses on three pillars – People, Prosperity and Place.
“We wanted a blueprint to help how we go about strategically identifying and/or pursuing opportunities,” said Gonzalez, Sahuarita’s economic development and public affairs director.
People
Incorporated in 1994, Sahuarita has grown to a population of more than 35,000, no doubt led by people who flocked to its stunning desert vistas, safe and inclusive neighborhoods, excellent schools and vibrant quality of life. Looking forward, even with just baseline growth, the population’s on track to more than double in the next 20 years. Indeed, it’s already one of America’s fastest growing towns.
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Northwest Medical Center-Sahuarita
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Moving forward, a dynamic and skilled workforce is key.
“We are thinking of the next generation,” said Alex Magallanes, an economic development specialist for Sahuarita. “It’s a good way to get started–how to create pathways so we can attract the younger generation.”
The plan urges vigorous collaboration with UA, Tech Launch Arizona and Pima Community College. Gonzalez’ team is exploring apprenticeship programs with local industries, including mining, photonics, water management and more.
Also beneficial is bolstering civic leadership. “We have 33% of our population as young families,” Magallanes said. “We want to bring resources to help them connect with their peers.”
“We want to grow and I’m excited about the opportunities to complement the residential growth, developing employment and industry.”
– Victor Gonzalez
Economic Development & Public Affairs Director Town of Sahuarita
home to potentially brick and mortar. Currently, 74 participants are enrolled, with an immediate eye for 120.
“We focus a lot of our energy on the entrepreneur in Sahuarita,” Magallanes said. “Our school of thought is growing our own businesses into what could be major employers.”
Prosperity
Sahuarita already benefits from industries such as mining, with large operations by ASARCO, Freeport McMoRan, Caterpillar and UA’s San Xavier Underground Mining Laboratory nearby. Healthcare continues to grow with Northwest Medical Center-Sahuarita and the nationally recognized La Posada retirement community in Green Valley.
The new Sahuarita Advanced Manufacturing & Technology Center has also been a game-changer, housing PowerPhotonic, a leading international optics manufacturer based out of Scotland; ATAG, a 3D printing company; and Global Water Resources, a water recontinued from page 123
Town economic leadership is focused on strengthening from within, aiding those who already run homebased businesses. Magallanes touted the town’s free development program, Grow IN Sahuarita, to help local entrepreneurs take their businesses from
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source management company. Other Sahuarita-based companies, such as the maritime tech company Hydronalix, have found the town to be a secret weapon for growth.
But more is needed.
“It’s really about growing and diversifying our industry sectors here in Sahuarita,” said Gonzalez. “How do we continue to support existing industries and identify opportunities for additional technology and innovation.”
The town is advantageously positioned not only within 15 minutes of Downtown Tucson, but 35 miles from the U.S. Mexico border, so international business could bring numerous opportunities. Additionally, its proximity to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and the region’s top employer, Raytheon, brings vast potential for expansion in aerospace.
The master plan also envisions the recruitment of additional machine shops, 3D printing operations, packaging and hardware suppliers that support existing industries.
Place
Surrounded by Southern Arizona’s desert meadows and majestic mountain passes, Sahuarita is renowned for its safe, family-friendly communities and responsive government. The town is home to a beautiful lake and five-acre park with walking paths and public fishing, in addition to numerous recreation spaces. It’s also adjacent to the world’s largest irrigated pecan orchard.
“One of the first things people notice is that it’s a beautiful community,” Gonzalez said. “We have beautiful landscaping, the Santa Cruz River runs right through.”
The potential for growing this stunning place is rife with opportunity.
Planning for the future should include more hotel rooms, according to the master plan. In fact, a goal to reach 500 new hotel rooms by 2034 is “ambitious yet achievable.” Also, more restaurants are not only urged in the plan, but also desired by existing Sahuarita residents, according to its 2022 Citizen’s Survey. Key among these could be craft breweries, live music venues, coffee shops and
other businesses to attract young professionals.
“Our economic development team has been connecting with various restaurant and operators and doing our best sales pitch,” Gonzalez said. “We are highlighting the existing growth, the purchasing power, and our household incomes.”
Also exciting is the desire to create a bustling Town Center in Sahuarita, which will offer a central gathering place and additional spaces for recreation.
“We are very much still a blank slate,” Gonzalez said. “We want to grow and I’m excited about the opportunities to complement the residential growth, developing employment and industry.”
For Shuffield, helping to craft the town’s master plan has been one of his favorite projects to date. “The entire leadership of Sahuarita is ready for this kind of direction.”
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Mark McElhinney CEO
PowerPhotonic
PowerPhotonic Finds U.S. Home in Sahuarita
By Christy Krueger
When an international optics company was looking for a location to set up its U.S. facility, Sahuarita was the perfect choice.
PowerPhotonic started in Edinburgh, Scotland 20 years ago making precision lenses and other optical elements for high power lasers, said Mark McElhinney, CEO of the company’s U.S. facility in Sahuarita.
“We start with a flat piece of glass and use a laser to shape the glass for optical functions needed in highpowered laser applications like shooting down drones and missiles,” he said. “The U.K. facility mostly deals with commercial applications such as laser cutting and welding for applications like automotive manufacture. One of the biggest uses for PowerPhotonic parts is in retinal imaging systems. The retinal imaging systems in an eye doctor’s office contain optics that are likely made by us.”
The U.S. operation in Sahuarita, however, mostly handles defense applications. “We support U.S. defense and big government labs,” McElhinney said. Customers include Raytheon and other defense companies in California, Colorado and Texas. “We’re in the center of our customers and there is a skill base here we can use.”
For McElhinney and PowerPhotonic employees, it was a great fit – they were still in Southern Arizona and close to defense clients. “It was 14,000 square feet and easily configurable. We worked with a local architecture company who helped us design and we built the clean room. It was operating by March 2023. We told the architect we wanted a European feel; inside there’s aluminum and glass, bright colors, a modern feel. Everything is clean and bright. It feels like the U.K. facility,” he said.
As far as the town itself and the people, McElhinney has all positives to say. “The town is very supportive. Mayor Murphy helped us set up and made us feel welcome. Sahuarita wanted to bring high-tech companies to the town to broaden the local employment base. It was a great fit for both of us. Engagement with the town helped us develop a feeling of place. We wanted a sense of belonging, we wanted to engage with the community. That was a great advantage of locating in Sahuarita. We could develop a company culture that felt welcoming and friendly.”
“One thing we looked for was a feeling of place. We wanted a sense of community, we wanted to engage with the community.”
– Mark McElhinney CEO PowerPhotonic
McElhinney previously worked in Tucson for Leonardo Electronics, a manufacturer of laser components and a customer of PowerPhotonic U.K., so he was already familiar with the Scottish company and was hired to open and operate a Tucson subsidiary. Tucson was initially selected to be the company’s U.S. location because of its proximity to defense clients.
“When we started our search in 2022, there weren’t a lot of places the right size,” McElhinney said. “We were looking for a space of 15,000 square feet and there wasn’t much in Tucson of that size. We widened our search and our realtor suggested a new facility in Sahuarita, established to attract high technology companies – SAMTEC (Sahuarita Advanced Manufacturing and Technology Center).”
PowerPhotonic has 10 employees, some of whom live in Sahuarita, he noted. “That’s important to have them live here locally in Sahuarita.”
In order to connect with other like businesses in the region, PowerPhotonic belongs to Optics Valley. Optics Valley refers to the Southern Arizona optical cluster that is home to a high concentration of optics companies, many originating at UA. It is also a trade association for members.
McElhinney believes the business climate of Sahuarita is forward-thinking. “Sahuarita is trying to encourage other companies like us to come here. We expect more technology companies to come to Sahuarita.”
He feels the town is very engaged with growing the community while also being welcoming, supportive and enthusiastic. “I can’t stress how supportive they’ve been.” And the mayor is right up there. During construction inside PowerPhotonic’s space, McElhinney didn’t have a place to sit down and work. “So the mayor offered me his office,” he recounted.
Julia Johnson
Founder Julia Johnson Fitness
Julia Johnson Fitness Thrives in Sahuarita
By Tara Kirkpatrick
Julia Johnson Fitness is just one example of entrepreneurial success in Sahuarita.
Johnson’s tri-weekly, early-morning boot camps, held outdoors in a town park no matter the weather, have become a community staple, as are the group training sessions in her garage.
“I started this about five years ago in our community,” said Johnson. “I’ve had people that have been with me for all five years. It’s really something special because you’ll get people that don’t know any neighbors or don’t know each other, and they come to the group, and before you know it, they have these friendships.”
Johnson, a mother of three whose husband serves in the U.S. military, chose Sahuarita to live and felt it was a place where she could build her fitness business. “I needed the community feel because I knew that I wanted to start my boot camp here. I needed something that felt a little more personal.”
Fitness has been an accidental, yet fulfilling career path for Johnson. As a military wife and young mom, she attended classes in other cities to meet people, and stood out for her natural ability. “I had people come up to me and ask if I was an instructor,” she recalled. “All these little seeds were planted. I realized, I love this. I was already going to school for something else, but once I switched it, it was like I came alive.” She would go on to earn her bachelor’s degree in corporate fitness.
“I needed the community feel because I knew that I wanted to start my boot camp here. I needed something that felt a little more personal.”
Her Sahuarita boot camps are just the beginning. Johnson holds a “Ladies Night” once a month where participants paint or go to movies, etc. and then the group also plans a hike or a run outside of class. “I open this up to anybody that wants to come and be a part of it,” she said. “I’ve built a good business and it’s not about me, but it’s really about the people that are in it and the friendships made.”
Her garage training sessions are a by-product of her boot camps. “It’s been about two years now, and I’m so thankful that I started it. When you see other people that are pushing themselves....it makes you want to go harder. It just really makes such a difference”
Johnson is one of the participants in Grow IN Sahuarita, a free local program that helps local entrepreneurs progress their businesses. She meets with economic development specialist Alex Magallanes consistently to develop a plan for growth.
– Julia Johnson Founder Julia Johnson Fitness
“We’ve only worked together for a very short amount of time...but I will tell you, in those two or three months, I really learned so much from him. How cool that our town is so invested in businesses.”
Magallanes and Johnson have created a 90-day plan and he essentially acts as her accountability coach. “Every month I am getting five new clients and it’s just doing small things,” she said. “I’m not even investing money. It’s more about being smart with my time. Having him as my accountability partner, I’m so grateful for it.”
A Home for Hydronalix Maritime Company Finds Success in Sahuarita
By Tara Kirkpatrick
Hydronalix, a high-tech company whose robotic water and air rescue systems are used all over the world, has found Sahuarita to be the perfect town for its headquarters.
Even, perhaps, its secret weapon.
“When you think about a maritime company, it’s usually in a seaport town,” said Tony Mulligan, founder and CEO of Hydronalix. “For the first number of years, we didn’t want others in the industry to know what we were doing. It gave us a chance to grow and develop our technology.
“We also had another idea that if we trained and educated people who live in Sahuarita how to do this work, our retention would be higher because they want to live here.” Mulligan said. “We were looking for the long haul, people that would want to spend their entire careers with us.”
He has done just that. Founded in 2009, Hydronalix is a leader in extreme performance, small unmanned vehicles for water and air. A mechanical engineer, Mulligan leads a team of 47 people who pride themselves on design and development, test and evaluation, production, marketing and customer training and service. The company has produced more than 2000 systems to date.
His team comprises not only scientists and engineers, but also retired fire chief personnel and former military.
“We train a lot of firemen and policemen and first responders from all over the world here.” Mulligan said.
Hydronalix tests and trains its products locally, on Sahuarita Lake and nearby Patagonia Lake, but also globally. Its team takes part in U.S. Marine Cor ps training exercises across Europe. The company also will soon open an of-
fice at the NATO training facility on the island of Crete. “We send people from Sahuarita there,” he said. “We have 10 people in Sweden right now. We also have boats in 53 countries and about 900 locations that we work with.”
Sahuarita offers Hydronalix the trusted vendors, suppliers and other infrastructure of nearby Tucson, with a dedicated local workforce. Traveling all over the country only confirms Mulligan’s appreciation of the town for his company.
“The key to production isn’t that you’re on the water, but it’s that people do very high-efficiency, high-quality work, and so we get people here that are very dedicated and very passionate,” Mulligan said. “We feel very strongly that this is a very well-organized, planned out and well-run community.”
On the storied Southern Arizona land that encircles Sahuarita, R. Keith Walden became one of the largest pecan producers in the world.
Today, the company he started, Farmers Investment Co., is one of Sahuarita’s biggest supporters, if not its most fruitful partner.
From donating significant acreage for housing, a high school and a church in the town to hosting annual running events and providing scholarships, the Walden family and FICO are invested in Sahuarita’s success.
“The Waldens have stayed true to their Sahuarita roots by giving back and celebrating the community that has helped them flourish,” FICO’s website proclaims.
In 1914, Bernard Baruch, Joseph Kennedy and J.P. Morgan chose the Santa Cruz Valley here to grow guayule, a source of rubber, because of a feared shortage during World War I. When the project was canceled after the war’s end, Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands purchased the land and invested in a cotton-growing operation.
A California farmer, Walden started Farmers Investment Company and was looking for opportunities outside the state. In 1949, he would buy the land after the queen’s death and continue
By Tara Kirkpatrick
to grow cotton, expanding with an additional land purchase in 1958 and making Sahuarita his company’s official headquarters.
Yet, in 1965, fearing a drop in cotton demand because of the advent of new synthetic fibers and other market factors, Walden experimented with different crops and ultimately switched his crop to pecans. It was a prosperous decision. By 1969, FICO had more than 6,000 acres of planted pecan trees. Today, it yields an average of 2,200 pounds per acre of pecans.
Over the years, the Walden family, which continues to run FICO, has donated hundreds of acres for many community related needs. For example, when the town’s lone high school exceeded capacity in the early 2000s, the Waldens donated the land to build a second one–the now-thriving Walden Grove High School.
“Not only did the Waldens donate land for the high school, but they worked with us on several other issues,” Jay St. John, retired superintendent of Sahuarita Unified School District, wrote in a 2015 editorial for Green Valley News. “We had to put in a septic system, with which the Waldens also helped. We had to build a safe road to access the school, which the Waldens allowed us to do
across their land. The Waldens even helped us get drinking water to the campus and to Sahuarita Park.”
For a decade, FICO also ran the Sahuarita Pecan Festival, which became a pivotal family-friendly event and raised more than $120,000 for the community before it came to an end in 2019.
Since 2008, FICO’s annual running events also have made a significant impact on the Sahuarita community. These events have raised close to $20,000 in total donations, benefitting a variety of local organizations, including The Continental School Foundation, The Green Valley Sahuarita Chamber Foundation, the Sahuaro City Music Theater, and the Green Valley Firefighters Charities. Last year, FICO gave out scholarships to four high school students through the Sahuarita-Green Valley Chamber Foundation.
“We firmly believe in the positive impact of fostering these activities, which align with our core objectives of promoting physical and mental well-being, providing vital support to local organizations, fostering a stronger sense of community, and sharing our journey and stories with our neighbors,” said Paula Beemer, FICO’s events director.
