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Town of Sahuarita presents 10-year general plan update draft; staff to widen outreach before 60-day review
Summary
Consultants and planning staff summarized public engagement to date, revised vision and goals, and a timeline that aligns plan ratification with the August 2026 primary election to avoid a special election. Staff plans more community outreach at town events before a state-mandated 60-day review.
The Town of Sahuarita planning staff and consultant Michael Baker International presented the 10-year general plan update to the Town Council on Feb. 24, summarizing public outreach, proposed revisions to the vision and goals, and next steps toward adoption. "We've been working on this General Plan update now for over a year," project lead Matt Kliesico said.
Staff said they have carried out multiple engagement activities — community workshops, a youth workshop, booths at town events and two online survey rounds — and that the combined total of survey submissions across five topic-specific surveys was 225. As a result of feedback and to avoid the expense of a stand-alone election, the project team said it has shifted the ratification timeline to align with the Aug. 2026 primary election rather than holding a separate May election.
Kliesico described the iterative approach: present goals and policies, solicit comment, revise and return to the public. He said the second round of outreach returned strong majority support for most drafted goals (about 80% agreement for many topic areas) but also produced requests for clearer implementation steps, more recreational opportunities for older residents, and balanced access to amenities across neighborhoods.
Staff recommended additional on-the-ground outreach at Fiesta Sahuarita in April and other community events so the team can gather more input before beginning the state-mandated 60-day review period. "We thought the council could either validate what we heard from commission or or maybe give further insight," Kliesico said, describing feedback loops with the Planning and Zoning Commission.
Councilors and staff discussed how survey results relate to prior ballot measures (for example past bond proposals) and noted a desire to improve outreach channels and messaging to reach larger and younger audiences. If the 60-day review proceeds on schedule, staff said they will share the draft with adjacent jurisdictions and state agencies as required by statute and then return to the council for formal adoption steps.
