The long-delayed Cactus Surf Park is back on track to start construction this year at Gilbert Regional Park.
The park, a public-private partnership between the town and the developer, also has redesigned plans that will have the park using 60% less water.
The attraction on 25 acres at Gilbert Regional Park is now anticipated to open Sept. 30, 2025, according to town documents.
Gilbert Town Council unanimously approved an amended contract with Cactus Surf Park, LLC, as part of the consent agenda at its May 2 meeting.
The town originally entered into a contract with The Strand @ Gilbert, LLC, in February 2019, to develop a water sports complex at Gilbert Regional Park. But pandemic-related fundraising issues led to construction delays and an amended contract in August 2020.
A year later, Cactus Surf Park purchased the project and began redesigning the park, creating additional water efficiencies. The group took the plans to a neighborhood meeting last August.
With the reduction in water needs, the group asked to reduce its need for water credits for the park from 200 acre-feet annually, down to 100 acre-feet annually.
The project is required to always hold five years of long-term storage credits. As a result, under the amended contract, the required need has been dropped from 1,000 acre-feet of water credits stored to 500 acre-feet of water credits stored, according to town documents.
The contract also requires the group to purchase those water credits by June 30.
The group also plans to have its own recovery well on site and do its own reclamation, making it possible for the only water loss at the site to come from evaporation, officials said.
The water used at Cactus Surf Park will not come from Arizona’s allocated water supply from the Colorado River, according to the town. The water credits Cactus Surf Park will purchase and use are recovered credits delivered through the town’s potable water system.
Under the amended contract, groundbreaking is scheduled for Dec. 23.
At the time of the sale in 2021, Cactus Surf Park Crane officials estimated the cost of the project at $60 million-$70 million. Original construction estimates were $35 million.
According to its website, the park’s amenities will include a surf lagoon, an inflatable water park, sand beach, outdoor cabana areas for rent, a kids play area and video boards. It also would have an on-site restaurant and banquet room. Kayaking, canoeing, paddle boarding all would be available as well as yoga courses.
Design changes from the original concept are subject to public review, company and Gilbert officials said.
Under the original agreement approved in 2019, the town will bear no costs in construction, maintenance or operations.
The company and town agreed to a 50-year lease with options for three 10-year extensions. Gilbert would be paid a lease and a percentage of gross sales from a revenue-sharing program.
Gilbert would receive a minimum annual payment of $253,191.24, excluding the revenue share, for which it anticipates receiving between $450,000 and $750,000 annually, according to projections from the town made at the time of the original agreement in 2019.
That projection is based on getting 3% of the gross revenue of between $15 million and $25 million annually.
Cactus Surf Park officials said in 2021 Gilbert's Office of Economic Development estimated the 10-year revenue for the town at $6.5 million, of which $5.6 million would come from direct revenue and another $900,000 from indirect revenue. He also said the estimated economic impact from the park is $317 million.
Tom Blodgett can be reached by email at tblodgett@iniusa.org or follow him @sp_blodgett on Twitter. We would like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org.
Tom Blodgett Senior News Editor | Gilbert @sp_blodgett
Meet Tom Tom Blodgett joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2022, when the company acquired Community Impact Newspaper's Phoenix-area properties. Raised in Arizona, he has spent more than 35 years in journalism in the state.
Community: He has served as an instructional professional in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication since 2005, and is editorial adviser to The State Press, the university's independent student media outlet. He also is director of operations for an 18U girls fastpitch softball team from Gilbert.
Education: Arizona State University with a BS in Journalism.
Random Fact: He lived in Belgium during his freshman year of high school.
Hobbies: Tweeting enthusiastically about ASU softball (season-ticket holder) and grumpily about other local sports (pessimistic fan).
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