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Spanish Puerto Peñasco's main industry is tourism, and to make tourism possible, there has to be access. Two years ago the Sonoran government completed upgrading the highway between Sonoyta and Puerto Peñasco, Sonora Highway 8. The state invested millions of pesos, putting in culverts and widening and straightening the road to make it easier for tourists to get there. Now Arizona is playing catch up. Highway 86 through the Indian reservation east of Why has been improved by putting in culverts where washes used to be, thus eliminating or reducing flooding. Highway 85 north of Ajo is being widened and improved. There's talk of continuing the work as far as Gila Bend.
Now there is a great deal of activity on Sonora 8 outside of Puerto Peñasco. At a new intersection just north of the office of Ejido Las Lagrimas, the new highway Sonora 37 goes west toward the ocean and the Black Mountain area for approximately 10 miles and stops at the railroad tracks. This is a major state highway with all the signage. I have been told that after it crosses the tracks it will run along the coast all the way to El Golfo Santa Clara, where it will connect with existing roads that go to Mexicali, Yuma, and California cities.
The highway will provide access to Laguna del Mar, a large new development on the beach north of Puerto Peñasco. Construction of the infra-structure is scheduled to begin within the next three months. The first phase will have a 100-room hotel and 128 condos; ultimately there will be 400 hotel rooms and 500 condos. Of special interest to golfers is the news that the project will have two Jack Nicklaus golf courses and a golf school. Watch for further news on this large-scale project.
On the other side of Highway 8 the new road will go east to meet the Caborca highway, near where another mega-development, La Pinta Mayan Palace, will be built. Plans are for the highway to go all the way down along the coast to Guaymas. The map shows approximately where all this is taking place.
A short distance north of the new intersection is Palm Harbor RV Resort. It's been there since last year, but as we drove past, we noticed some new improvements. The resort itself has been well planned and solidly built, with a block and wrought iron wall all the way around it and palm trees at intervals inside the wall. White conch shells on the ground inside the wall and around the trees add a decorative note. The park provides storage for vehicles as well as a large number of RV hookups. There is a beautiful model trailer installed near the entrance. Behind it we noticed a new picnic area shaded by a palapa. A brick walkway edged with ceramic tile divides the area in two, and there's a barbecue grill on each side with a sink set into a counter. Around the central pole that holds up the palapa is a table inlaid with tile. It all looks very elegant.
We stopped to talk to the watchman, Sylvester, and found out that he had built all the improvements--what a talented workman. He said the owner, Tom Alexon, is planning to put in a pool and spa also. When that is done, this will be a really high-class place to stay, convenient both to town and to the new highway.
Another place for RV owners to stay is the Rocky Point RV Resort a little farther south. It has been in place for a couple of years, but now, with the new highway coming and the RV parks near the ocean filling up, it should see a surge of customers.
A little closer to town is the new Desert Oasis restaurant and bar that opened recently. (See article on page )
Other businesses that are starting or have started in this same area:
The Donaldsons are continuing to improve their home and RV park.
José of Pathfinder Travel has a walled vehicle storage lot where people who take his tours can park their cars.
Marcos RV Park is almost finished.
A furniture manufacturer, a sheet metal factory, and a cement plant are industrial newcomers.
Idea Homes has a model home and a sales office just north of town on the highway
Tourism in Puerto Peñasco started near the water because that's where everyone wanted to be. But as land along the beaches with utilities in place has grown increasingly scarce, development has been pushed back. What we are seeing now along the highway north of town is secondary tourism, with the restaurants, bars, and mobile home and RV parks located away from the beaches. In addition, tourism gives birth to secondary industries--home building supplies, appliances, and furniture. These too we are seeing in the same area.
The highway north of town is ideal for commercial development because it has all the infrastructure in place. Water, electricity, and telephone lines follow the main road into town and thus are immediately available. Two major highways intersect near the airport. A little closer to town the new Cholla Bay Road is being built. There's a pumping station where the road leaves the main highway, and water lines are on their way in. Electricity is already available in some Cholla Bay homes. Moreover, the commercial strip is only 50 miles from the U.S. border via an excellent paved road, and it's in the Free Zone.
Quality roads, utilities, and communications are the keys to successful commercial development. In a place with rapid access to a number of cities, where there are good quality roads, electricity, water, and telephone lines, businesses will flourish. This strip just outside of Puerto Peñasco is an example of the process.
