The new Sonoran Preserve in northern Phoenix has grown to almost 3,000 acres. In November 2007, the City of Phoenix purchased 862 acres of pristine desert land to add to the Sonoran Preserve, the latest segment of the city’s vast desert and mountain preserve system.

The new land is classic Upper Sonoran Desert landscape that boasts hillsides dense with saguaros, cholla, ocotillo and palo verde trees. This area is bordered by a riparian area along a portion of SonoranWash and is adjacent to existing Sonoran Preserve lands.

This latest $75,250,000 purchase was jointly financed with Phoenix Parks andPreserve Initative proceeds and a grant from Arizona’s Growing Smarter State Trust Land Acquisition program, administered by Arizona State Parks. Growing Smarter grants have provided one-half of the funding for the 2,236 acres of State Trust land in the preserve. The city has acquired an additional 601 acres of land for the Preserve through donations, impact fees and 2001 Park Bonds. The city hopes to purchase approximately 650 additional acres (listed on the above map as Priority 2 Phase 1) sometime in mid 2008.

The city’s purchases of land for the Sonoran Preserve were delayed in late 2003 when the Arizona State Land Department cancelled land auctions because of a protest on the constitutionality of open space restrictions of the sale. Current acquisitions are conducted through the normal ASLD auction process and the land is sold at “fair market” value.

Keep an eye on this page in the coming months to get updates on upcoming land purchases.

Sonoran Preserve Master Plan