A $32.8M replacement for the Sabino Canyon Visitor Center is gathering momentum.
Initial plans call for a single building of up to 29KSF and a parking lot expansion that will replace the existing nine buildings, nearly tripling the available floor space and adding up to 122 parking slots. The project will also add desert landscaping, sustainability features and dedicated walking paths.
The nonprofit Friends of Sabino Canyon and the Coronado National Forest are working together on the project.
Sabino Canyon Visitor Center Reimagined will include interactive displays, dedicated exhibit space, Forest Service office space, a multipurpose room, and a gift shop and bookstore, among other offerings.
Plans to replace the current visitor center, which is at end-of-life, date back to at least 2016. Coronado National Forest and the nonprofit agreed in 2022 to share costs for a $250K master plan, which was developed by Weddle Gilmore Architects.
The new center is expected to be built north of the current facility, which would stay open during construction. When the new center is finished, the old one will be demolished for additional parking.
U.S. Forest Service officials are seeking funding through the Service’s internal processes, the most likely source of which will be the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund.
Since projects with strong community support are more likely to meet with success, Friends of Sabino Canyon has pledged to raise 15% of the costs, nearly $5M. The group has raised more than $1M for past projects in Sabino Canyon. The new fundraising campaign is expected to launch sometime in 2027 and hopes to meet its target in two to three years.
Coronado National Forest finished an environmental review and approved the project master plan in December.
Construction will probably not begin until at least 2028. Construction drawings are expected to take approximately 12 months, followed by bid solicitation, contractor selection and materials procurement. Construction itself would then take another 18 months, at a minimum. (Source)
