Marana’s growing population creates new possibilities
Marana’s Saguaro Bloom community was envisioned for 2,500 homes. There are currently 800 built./Jeff Gardner
It’s not official yet, but the Town of Marana is expected to reach a population of 50,000 residents this year.
The small farming community that incorporated 10 square miles in 1977 has transformed into a 127 square-mile town serving an ever-growing amount of people and businesses. This has presented “special challenges” to the local government—as Town Manager Jamsheed Mehta puts it—which is tasked with providing quality roads, policing, drainage and water and sewer service to an expanding consumer base.
In just the past few years, town staff have completed several major infrastructure studies that forecast demand for services decades into the future. Mehta said the original infrastructure was only meant to handle a small, rural capacity, so the town is currently experiencing “growing pains.”
