The City of Surprise is bringing multiple community resources together under one roof at the new Surprise Community & Resource Center (SCRC), located at 12641 W. Santa Fe Dr. in the Original Town Site of Surprise, near Hollyhock Street and Santa Fe Drive.

To minimize disruptions to programming and services, the move will take place in phases, as outlined below.

The current location at 12425 W. Bell Rd. Suite 124 will have limited programming Thursday, August 13, through Wednesday, August 19. During this time, only front desk staff and heat relief operations will be available for walk-ins. Then, starting on Thursday, August 20, all programming will resume at the new SCRC with temporary hours:

The Resource Center will transition to new permanent hours starting on August 31. To see the full list of temporary and permanent hours, visit surpriseaz.gov/SCRC.

The current location at 15832 N. Hollyhock St. will be closed permanently beginning Friday, August 21. From Friday, August 21, through Wednesday, August 26, members can contact Banner Olive Branch at 623.465.6000 for their in-person Congregate Meal Program. Then, starting on Thursday, August 27, all Senior Services programming will resume at the new SCRC. Senior Services hours inside the new building will be Monday – Friday, 7 a.m. – 3 p.m.

The current location at 15844 N. Hollyhock St. will be closed permanently beginning Thursday, August 20. Library services and programming will resume at the new SCRC starting on Friday, August 28.

Hollyhock Library hours at the new SCRC location will change to:

The community is invited to the official ribbon-cutting ceremony for the SCRC on September 3 at 10 a.m., followed by an open house at 11 a.m.

This is a wonderful opportunity to see how the new facility provides access to health and wellness programs, Head Start classrooms, workforce development, housing and homeless assistance, benefit assistance, veteran services, senior services, after-school youth programs and library services, all in one place.

The new building will serve the entire Northwest Valley, and its broad range of services is delivered through partnerships with dozens of government agencies and nonprofit organizations.

Residents are encouraged to learn more at surpriseaz.gov/SCRC.

The Phoenix Office of JLL announced today that it has completed the sale of the 453,960-square-foot Building One at West Summit at Surprise, a new two-building industrial project developed by Mohr Capital in Surprise, Arizona – one of Arizona’s fastest growing cities.

US Merchants, a leading North American manufacturer of consumer goods and packaging, purchased Building One for $63,887,560, creating the company’s second metro Phoenix location.

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Completed Q3 2024, West Summit at Surprise totals 46.26 acres and 704,472 square feet in two state-of-the-art industrial buildings: a 453,960-square-foot Building One at 13401 W. Sweetwater Ave. and a 250,512-square-foot Building Two at 12600 N. Summit Way.

The project is located within Summit Business Park, along the BNSF Railroad, making both buildings rail capable.

“West Summit’s business park location and adjacency to rail made it a compelling development opportunity from the start,” said Mohr Capital Chief Development Officer Gary Horn. “We designed the project to serve distribution, manufacturing and logistics companies, and US Merchants aligns perfectly with that vision. Their plan to add a rail spur further underscores how essential that capability is to select operators. It’s gratifying to see this building purchased for the very uses it was built to support.”

Building One is fully air conditioned with 36’ clear height, LED lighting and a 2,951-square-foot spec office suite. It is served by 3,000 amps of power (expandable), 60’ speed bays, a 145’ secured concrete truck court, 101 dock doors, four grade level doors and the ability to park 368 cars and 144 trailers.

JLL Vice Chairman Anthony Lydon, Executive Managing Director John Lydon and Vice President Kelly Royle represented Mohr Capital in the building sale. US Merchants was represented by Joey Sugar and John Grady of CBRE.

“The need for rail made West Summit a true ‘one of one’ choice and an especially strategic fit for US Merchants,” said JLL’s John Lydon. “We were pleased to help fit their requirements so precisely, and we look forward to securing the right occupant for Building Two, which echoes the advantages of Building One.”

In addition to its shared features with Building One, Building Two provides 32’ clear height, a 2,728-square-foot spec office suite, 135’ secured concrete truck court, 28 dock doors and four grade level doors. It can park 338 cars and 81 trailers.

West Summit at Surprise sits north of the northwest corner of Dysart Road and Cactus Road, less than five miles from Loop 303 and Loop 101 and three miles from Northern Parkway. Both buildings can access a population of 1.9 million within a 35-minute drive and reach numerous large urban markets within a one- to two-day delivery zone. Both buildings are also FTZ enabled, allowing for a simplified and expedited FTZ designation application process that can deliver up to a 72.9% reduction in state real and personal property taxes.

Corporate neighbors at West Summit at Surprise include Crescent Crown, HD Supply, REI, XPO Logistics, Walmart, SubZero, Milly and more.

SURPRISE, AZ (AZFamily) — The city of Surprise has launched a dedicated website to provide residents with a single, centralized source of information regarding a proposed federal immigration facility that has drawn community backlash, environmental concerns, and vandalism.

According to city officials, the portal outlines what local leaders have done to address the project, identifies areas of the plan that federal agencies have not yet shared, and details which aspects of the development the city has the authority to control. It also highlights the latest updates on the multi-million-dollar warehouse, which the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) plan to convert into a processing facility.

“We have now launched a webpage that has all the information we have regarding the proposed facility in one place for easy reference,” Surprise Mayor Kevin Sartor said, emphasizing the city’s commitment to transparency as they continue to push federal agencies for answers.

City officials also noted that DHS has committed to establishing a Community Relations Board, which will feature a city-appointed representative, and promised that the facility will not trigger roving ICE enforcement activity in Surprise.

The launch of the information portal comes amid a court-ordered pause on the facility.

The controversy began in January when news leaked that ICE purchased the warehouse for $70 million. The site quickly became a target for protests, and a 19-year-old was arrested in May in connection with an arson incident at the warehouse in February.

Mayor Sartor emphasized that the city’s public safety, emergency management, and leadership teams are continuously preparing for any contingencies.

“Residents can be assured that their city leadership is continuing to monitor developments, advocate for our community, and do everything within our authority to protect the safety and well-being of the people who call Surprise home,” Sartor said.

The website is accessible to the public at this link.

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As Arizona communities prepare for the possibility of future Colorado River water reductions, Surprise officials say the city's water portfolio remains strong enough to support both current residents and future growth. The city finds itself in a unique position: one of the Valley's fastest-growing communities while also navigating ongoing uncertainty surrounding the Colorado River and negotiations over its long-term management.

SURPRISE, AZ — As Arizona communities prepare for the possibility of future Colorado River water reductions, Surprise officials say the city's water portfolio remains strong enough to support both current residents and future growth.

The city finds itself in a unique position: one of the Valley's fastest-growing communities while also navigating ongoing uncertainty surrounding the Colorado River and negotiations over its long-term management.

Despite those challenges, Surprise Water Department Director Michael Boule said the city has significant capacity available.

"Currently, we're only using 50 percent of that water portfolio," Boule said. "The other 50 percent is set aside for growth or potential reductions."

According to Boule, the Surprise water service area currently delivers about 11,000 acre-feet of water annually, an amount he said places the city in the middle range compared with other municipalities in the Phoenix metropolitan area.

To prepare for future demand, the city is continuing to invest in water infrastructure. Several groundwater wells and water supply facilities are under construction to expand capacity and improve system reliability.

"We have a number of new groundwater wells under construction, water supply facilities where the water is treated, stored, pressurized and sent out to the distribution system," Boule said.

The city draws from multiple water sources, a strategy Boule said helps reduce the impact of potential Colorado River shortages. He also emphasized that reductions in Colorado River allocations do not threaten Surprise's 100-year Assured Water Supply designation, a state requirement demonstrating that sufficient water resources exist to meet projected demand for the next century.

Not everyone views the region's water outlook the same way.

Selwyn Justice, a citrus farmer with Justice Brothers Ranch, said the challenges facing Arizona's water supply remain significant, even for agricultural operators who rely primarily on groundwater.

"From my perspective as a farmer and rancher in Arizona, it's a pretty dire situation that we find ourselves in," Justice said.

Justice said Colorado River shortages create ripple effects throughout Arizona's water system, influencing how water resources are used and impacting costs across multiple sectors.

"As those Colorado use reductions occur here, we're going to continue to see water moving in new and interesting ways," Justice said.

As the West Valley continues to grow, questions remain about how cities, businesses and agriculture will balance increasing demand with limited water resources.

Boule said the solution will not be competition between communities for available water supplies but continued cooperation throughout the region.

With new infrastructure projects underway and additional water resources available for future development, city leaders say Surprise remains well-positioned to accommodate growth while adapting to whatever changes emerge from ongoing Colorado River negotiations.

For residents and businesses considering the city's future, officials' message is clear: growth and water security can coexist if communities continue planning for the long term.

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