Grand re-opening of Oro Valley’s Naranja Park on May 18

Published on May 08, 2024

ORO VALLEY, Ariz. (May 8, 2024) — The Town of Oro Valley invites community members of all ages to join in the celebration of the grand re-opening of Naranja Park on Saturday, May 18, beginning at 9 a.m. The park is located at 810 W. Naranja Drive, just east of La Cañada Drive.

This free event celebrates the addition of a splash pad, skate park, pump track for bicycles, two new multi-purpose fields, four pickleball courts, more than 440 new parking spaces, as well as key infrastructure upgrades to the power, water and irrigation systems throughout the park. These enhancements complement existing amenities that cater to a wide range of interests, including a fixed-range archery course, archery trails, dog parks, several sports fields, and an RC flyer landing strip for drones and remote-controlled aircraft.

At 9 a.m., Mayor Winfield, Town officials and key project partners will share a few words about the park’s development and then cut the ribbon. Shortly thereafter, attendees will get a firsthand experience of the park's newest amenities as special guests offer skills demonstrations at the skate park, pump track and RC flyer landing strip.

The ceremony will be held at the north end of the park, adjacent to the newly constructed skate park and pump track. Signage will help guide attendees to the designated area. Parking will be available throughout the park, with ADA parking near the celebration. Naranja Park is now accessible via both Naranja Drive (south entrance) and Tangerine Road (new north entrance).

Refreshments and cookies will be provided, along with free giveaways for both kids and adults, such as exclusive Town of Oro Valley 50th Anniversary merchandise, kids' t-shirts, bucket hats, towels, Parks and Recreation stickers, pickleball equipment, and skate and bike multi-tools.

"This event marks a milestone for our community as we unveil the much-anticipated Naranja Park Expansion. It’s been exciting to see the vision of this park come to fruition,” said Mayor Joe Winfield. “From its humble beginnings as a gravel pit to the cherished park it has become today, the journey of Naranja Park over the years has been remarkable. This grand opening is a celebration of that journey and a testament to the power of vision and perseverance. We invite everyone to join us on May 18 as we celebrate this achievement together.”

During the 23 months of construction, nearly 1.2 billion pounds of earth (or 350,000 cubic yards) has been moved to complete this project! Additionally, hundreds of new trees and plants have also been added to the park’s natural environment, including: 477 trees, 204 shrubs, 42 succulents/cacti, in addition to nearly 40 acres of native plant hydroseeding, and 55 saguaros which will be planted this summer.

This phase of improvements was a total investment of more than $20 million. Though a majority of the park is now built out, the Town will continue to evaluate new opportunities to add even more amenities in the coming years pending new funding options.

Naranja Park’s new and existing amenities

The revamped Naranja Park includes a variety of new and upgraded features:

• Splash pad with shade sails
• Skate park
• Pump (bicycle) track
• Four pickleball courts
• Two new, lighted multi-use fields
• New multi-use path network within the park
• RC flyer landing strip for drones and remote-controlled planes
• 440 new parking spaces and 100 parking area lights
• Two additional restrooms and one additional ramada
• Infrastructure enhancements to the power, water, and irrigation systems throughout the park
• Parks and Recreation maintenance yard
• Musette Road maintenance and improvements
• New northern entrance off Tangerine Road

The evolution of Naranja Park

The land for Naranja Park was purchased by the Town in November 2000. In 2002, the first Master Plan set the stage for its future. Notably, the archery range was constructed in 2012 through generous donations and a $15,000 grant from Arizona Game and Fish.

The Town broke ground on the initial phase of Naranja Park in 2014, which included construction of the first two multi-use fields, dog parks, parking lots and key infrastructure, which included being the first Town park to use reclaimed water. Phase one was completed and opened to the public in 2015. Since then, the 230-acre park has been developed in phases over the past ten years.

Further expansion in 2017 brought additional multi-use fields, and in 2020, a new playground area, complete with zip line and adventure tower, was installed.

In 2021, the Oro Valley Town Council voted to approve $25 million in bond financing for various Parks and Recreation improvements. Half of those funds were dedicated to this final phase of construction. It is important to note that this was not a voter-approved bond that adds property taxes to cover the repayment. Rather, the cost for repayment of these bonds was included in the sales taxes the Town already collects. More than half of the $25 million bond was used to add amenities in Naranja Park. An additional $1 million grant was received from the Arizona State Parks Land & Water Conservation Fund.

On June 1, 2022, the Town broke ground on this final phase of construction.

In February 2023, a groundbreaking was held for the future Arizona Heroes Memorial, which is currently being constructed on 2.5 acres of land within Naranja Park.

Special thanks

The Town extends its gratitude to the following groups for their partnership throughout this project:

• Oro Valley Town Council
• Haydon Building Corp.
• McGann & Associates
• Arizona Heroes Memorial and Spencer Construction
• Arizona State Parks
• Arizona Game and Fish Department
• Numerous other subcontractors and consultants

The Town of Oro Valley also thanks the community and neighboring residents for their patience and support over the past two years. Your dedication has been invaluable to the success of the Naranja Park Expansion Project.