Our Story: A Lifetime Legacy

The Founder of Rancho Sahuarita, Bob Sharpe, acquired 3,000 acres of farmland in Sahuarita, Arizona with a dream of creating a place that thousands of families would be proud to call home.

Humble Beginnings

Bob recalled being delighted by building and creating from the very start, while reminiscing on the nostalgia of playing with Lincoln Logs and Tinker Toys. A true industrial entrepreneur, Bob was well ahead of himself at the time, developing a keen sense of vision that would one day make him one of the country’s most successful developers.

Little did Bob know, in the 1990s, he began his journey as a champion for communities people could call home. Starting with his signature tree-lined streets and sidewalks along neighborhoods in Southern Arizona, leading into an active membership in the Urban Land Institute, holding many leadership positions (including trustee, Program Committee member, chair of the Community Development Council, Terwilliger Center Board Member, and ULI Arizona Advisory Board Member) along with his role as Governor of the ULI Foundation — he soon would build the technique and tenacity that would lay the foundation for something greater, something for everyone.

Bringing Life to Rancho Sahuarita

Only a short time later, Bob founded the Rancho Resort community in 2000, followed by the Rancho Sahuarita community in 2001. This tremendous milestone allowed him the opportunity to create the same sense of home he created in his early neighborhoods on a far larger scale. Bob envisioned an area where families could come together and experience a better quality of life at an affordable price. His dream would one day become Rancho Sahuarita.

Laying a Promising Foundation for Others

With a personal motto that quickly became the rallying force behind Bob, he moved through each day to the credo of “Today is a Good Day.” Even though the odds against him seemed impossible to overcome, he approached each day with gratitude, acknowledging he was blessed to have a new day; a day to help others, and a day to make a difference. As part of this morale, Bob distributed more than 10,000 “Today is a Good Day” stickers and established the “Today is a Good Day Foundation,” touching thousands of people through his inspirational outlook on life.

Today, nearly 20 years after the first home closed, thousands of families call Rancho Sahuarita home. Rancho Sahuarita resounds as a thriving master plan community of more than 18,000 residents and 5,700 homes. Rancho Sahuarita stands strong and continues to grow in stride with Bob’s vision and honor, which will guide development into the future.

Over the past few decades, that 3,000 acres of land just south of Tucson has transformed into an award-winning, highly amenitized, master-planned community in Southern Arizona.

Our History

1993

3,000 Acres Acquired

 

1994

Town of Sahuarita Founded

 

1996

Entitlements Approved

2000

Rancho Resort Opens

 

2001

Sahuarita Lake and Club Rancho Sahuarita
Break Ground

 

2002

First Home Closed in Rancho Sahuarita

2008

Named Best Selling Community in AZ

 

2011

5,000 Homes Closed Since Opening

 

2012

Sahuarita Town Center Received Common Ground Award

2014

MPA’s Project of the Decade

 

2015

Town of Sahuarita Named the 29th Best Place to Live by Money Magazine

 

2017

Construction Begins on New Neighborhoods

grocery store front and other businesses
man in suit holding a microphone and a pin in the other hand

2017

Inaugural Rancho Sahuarita Cancer Walk Raises Over 365 Thousand Dollars for National Brain Tumor Society

 

2018

Entrada La Villita Neighborhood Opens

 

2019

Northwest Healthcare Breaks Ground on Hospital in Sahuarita Town Center

2019

Rancho Sahuarita Management Company Wins Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Best Place to Work Award

 

2019

Entrada Del Rio Neighborhood Opens

 

2020

Now Selling New Homes in Entrada Del Rio and Entrada La Villita

drone shot of neighborhood being built

2020

Rancho Sahuarita residents celebrate that home matters the most while focusing on family connections during the Covid-19 pandemic

 

2021

Rancho Sahuarita Celebrates the 20th Anniversary

 

2022

Entrada La Coraza Neighborhood Opens
Entrada Del Pueblo Neighborhood Opens

2023

New Commercial Expansion in Town Center & Marketplace with Additional Businesses Added

 

2023

Rancho Sahuarita Received the Arizona Daily Star Readers’ Choice Award for Best Master-Planned Community

 

building grocery store front
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