A long-discussed public park has moved beyond concept art and public brainstorming, with the city now seeking a construction manager for the 58-acre project next to City Hall.
A city bid posting published April 13 requests construction management services for the Civic Center Iconic Park project on a city-owned parcel adjacent to Maricopa Civic Center, 39700 W. Civic Center Plaza.
The move marks the first step toward turning the concept into what would become the city’s second-largest park, at more than twice the size of Pacana Park.
The scope described in the bid closely mirrors the ambitious concept city officials previewed last fall, when the project was known as Park 48.
According to the posting, the project is planned to include a large, all-abilities playground, a 3½-acre lake, a fishing dock, a covered splash pad, an amphitheater with a 5-plus-acre great lawn, pump track, pickleball courts, basketball courts, volleyball courts, dog park, shaded paths, interpretive art, picnic areas, parking, a food truck zone, coffee bar and future retail pad coordination.
The bid also shows the project would require extensive behind-the-scenes work, including site grading, drainage, utility lines, internal roads, parking, walking paths, lake-related infrastructure, flood-control features, water-harvesting systems and a bridge over Bowlin Road.
Several elements echo the park’s earlier branding as a “destination-style civic centerpiece.”
When the concept was unveiled last fall, J2 Design principal landscape architect Jeff Velasquez described it as a “love letter to Arizona” with Sedona-inspired rock features, cloud-like shade structures and sections themed around Arizona landmarks.
The new bid posting references a “themed boulder entry zone,” which appears to refer to decorative faux boulder features made of glass fiber reinforced concrete, as well as custom shade structures and zip-line elements. It also says the large shade structure over the playground may incorporate video-board technology.
City officials say they want a construction manager involved early to help determine how the massive park can actually be built, how much it may cost and whether it will need to be constructed in phases.
Those questions have hung over the project since its splashy debut last year.
When council members and the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee reviewed the concept in October, cost quickly emerged as one of the biggest concerns. Councilmember AnnaMarie Knorr said at the time the vision looked “really expensive,” while City Manager Ben Bitter stressed the plan remained conceptual and not necessarily the final buildout.
The new procurement posting does not attach a price tag, but it signals the city is beginning the technical and financial groundwork needed to determine what gets built, when and at what cost.
Bids are due by 3 p.m. May 28. A pre-bid meeting is scheduled for 2 p.m. May 6 at 45700 W. Edison Road and bid opening information is listed for June 10.
![The Rotary Club of Maricopa will host a Pinal County candidate event at the Maricopa Community Center on May 28, 2026. [Monica D. Spencer]](https://inmaricopa.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/20260522-spencer-rotary-club-flyer-graphic-300x200.jpg)
![A trio of campaign signs sit on the southeastern corner of John Wayne Parkway and Bowlin Road on May 21, 2026. [Monica D. Spencer]](https://inmaricopa.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/20260521-spencer-campaign-signs-2-300x200.jpg)
![The Rotary Club of Maricopa will host a Pinal County candidate event at the Maricopa Community Center on May 28, 2026. [Monica D. Spencer]](https://inmaricopa.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/20260522-spencer-rotary-club-flyer-graphic-150x150.jpg)
12 Responses
Very ambitious project. I wonder if the city has this kind of dough.
All I ask for is that the playground be something original and NOT made using the basic playground parts that litter playgrounds across the country, including the ones in our city.
Absolutely the wrong time for something like this. We have street closures that cut Rancho El Dorado in half every time we have a decent storm or Global Water purges their mistakes. 23 years since Maricopa incorporated and they choose to not re-engineer the road to avoid these two trouble spots. Honeycutt and Bowlin Roads east of White & Parker ate two lane farm roads that are subject to closure and/or standing water and mud for days after a rain. No sidewalks east of the city facilities. And emergency services response times are affected.
Theses and many more issues that affect daily driving for a large and increasing percentage of citizens should be at the top of the to-do list with some new vanity recreational project at the bottom. I’m guessing these types of problems never affect the council members or they would be addressed.
And what exactly is it that you want them to do about water flooding the ditch by Santa Rosa elementary? What do you think can be done about any of these (excluding the sidewalks)?
The same thing that Smith Enke, Honeycutt & Maricopa-Casa Grande Hwy have…spans that go over the water. Roads designed to drive through a wash are not adequate for city living. And the roads east of White & Parker need to be 4 lanes with storm drains instead of a layer of pavement on a rudimentary farm road. Both Honeycutt and Bowlin are 4 lanes until W & P. When they get to Rancho Mirage they are improved again. These are more important than a theme park.
The roads and infrastructure were originally completed by El Dorado Holdings for RED. In no way shape or form were they footing the bill for two bridge crossings at the washes. Improvements by the city are part of the 10 year plan from the 2024 agenda.
Those other roads won’t get infrastructure upgrades until a developer does something in that area. Typically, the developer fronts the bill for the improvements and then gets it back in some form of tax abatement or incentive for developing. These are known as GPLET or CFD deals. These are used since Arizona repealed TIF’s in 1999 (the only state to do so).
The city has had 20 years since RED was completed to enact a plan to raise the roadbed and increase the culvert capacity flowing below it. Honeycutt and Bowlin are essentially bridges connecting developed and high growth areas that are under served now and will be increasingly more so everyday.
They built the Sonoran Desert Pkwy that serves very little traffic at this point so I think the planning has been ineffective. The focus should have been to improve where it is needed most.
God yes PLEASE we need more beauty in this town. This place is nothing but subdivisions, big box stores, rocks and dirt. It’s all an eyesore. It’s 100% possible to green a desert with very low cost/effort and I would love to see it happening here.
Except this isn’t a green grass kind of park. It is more like a theme park and very expensive. Link to original article: https://inmaricopa.com/maricopas-next-park-design-debuts-as-a-love-letter-to-arizona/
Splash pads?? Ugh well that’s effing lame. I was hoping for more of a riparian preserve kind of thing.
Instead of a destination park, make a destination trail. One that encompasses the entire city. With stops at all the current parks, but gives hikers, walkers, bikers, trail riders long safe riding/walking trail. Like Micklison Trail in South Dakota.
We can use eminent domain to tear down the houses for the path right?