Sunland Park, NM

Strategically Located, Purposefully Planned

A City Perfectly Positioned for the Possibilities That Lie Ahead

Sunland Park is a city poised for progress, uniquely positioned and preparing for the possibilities that lie ahead. Situated at the south-central point of the state, and bordering Texas and Mexico, freight traffic from Mexico’s interior and Pacific Coast routes pass through the region on the way to markets across the United States, while westbound commercial traffic from Los Angeles also moves through the same corridor.

“With that comes the many challenges of being a tri-state, binational community,” acknowledges Mayor Javier Perea. “But there are also a lot of positive things that come with it. We are just east of the Santa Teresa industrial complex, where there’s a lot of infrastructure and manufacturing and warehousing happening for logistics.” With El Paso continuing to grow and facing land constraints, Sunland Park is increasingly absorbing development spillover. At the same time, Ciudad Juarez is expanding its maquila industry westward. “So we’re at the heart of it,” he emphasizes.

Despite its location within a large metropolitan area that includes more than two million people across borders, Sunland Park itself is home to approximately 20,000 residents. “We are a small, predominantly Hispanic community. We’re one of the fastest growing cities in the state of New Mexico. With that, we’re also one of the safest cities in the state,” Mayor Perea adds.

The region’s diverse landscape and historic landmarks are key to its identity. “Being so far away from another major municipality, four hours from Albuquerque, nine hours from San Antonio and six hours from Phoenix, we’re kind of isolated in our own little world,” Perea says. “There’s a little bit for everybody here, from outdoor activity to urban amenities.”

A community rich in culture and heritage is another draw. The historic Camino Real Trail once passed through the area, connecting early Spanish settlers from Mexico to Santa Fe. Mount Cristo Rey, located within Sunland Park and owned by the Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces, draws more than 30,000 pilgrims annually to visit the 29 foot statue of Christ at the summit. Dinosaur tracks are also visible on the mountain, underscoring just how far back the story goes.

Planned Growth

As Sunland Park welcomes growth, the focus is on ensuring that development is sustainable and aligned with community needs. The city is currently updating its master plan, which was last completed just over five years ago. “We got our direction from the council that we need a medical provider. So we’re working on an urgent care facility within the city,” shares Perea. “We need to work on bringing activities for kids, so we’re continuing the expansion of our sports complex to cater to the growing sports tourism industry. We are also looking at investing in a new municipal complex, a one-stop shop. Currently, we are in an old elementary school that was built a long time ago for a whole different purpose. And we’ve outgrown this facility.”

The proposed complex would consolidate city services and include a new city hall, police department, and fire department, all intended to meet the needs of a growing population. Over the past year, the city has added 3,000 acres to its boundaries, creating room for expansion. Additionally, Sunland Park is planning for new services and infrastructure that will be required to support future development.

Business attraction firm Retail Strategies has been engaged to help identify new commercial opportunities, and the city is working with developers to bring in new businesses. “There is a focus on economic development,” the mayor stresses. “We’re a small municipality with limited resources, but we recognize the fact that to change that, we need to be able to provide new jobs, provide new opportunities for investment and economic growth.”  As a result of these efforts, Sunland Park will soon welcome a new travel center, a gas station, and new restaurants. “There’s a lot of different opportunities that are coming to the city of Sunland Park and a lot of change, from a sleepy rural community on the edge of El Paso, to one that’s just as pivotal and important for economic development and growth in the entire region,” he underscores.

Prioritizing Healthcare and Housing

City Manager Mario Juarez-Infante elaborates on one of Sunland Park’s most significant initiatives, the development of a micro hospital campus. Over the past 15 months, the city has secured three acres of a nineteen-acre site for a project that would include an urgent care facility, a standalone emergency department, and a medical office building. “We have gone through the zoning, got it approved, carved out the three acres, and have got those now transferred over to the city,” he relays. “We’ve also completed a medical market analysis, which shows that there’s a high demand. We draw a good number of patients from the west side of El Paso, a lot of it because the area in Sunland Park offers less traffic congestion, which is preferable, we’re seeing from the community.”

Preliminary design work is expected this spring, with site development potentially beginning in mid 2026. That means we’re looking at the earth work and the ground utility support infrastructure,” Juarez-Infante details. “It’s a $1.8 million investment.” Funding is being pursued through the state legislative process, including a $4.8 million request for construction of the urgent care facility. If approved, building construction could begin in 2027. “We do believe we’re in a very strong position because of the eligibility criteria. Even though we’re competing statewide, it’s kind of a unique funding application submission,” he says.

Recognizing the housing challenges throughout the state, Sunland Park is working to diversify its inventory. “Right now we have a lot of single-family dwellings, but I think there’s the opportunity to bring in higher density housing to reduce the stress on municipal services and also provide additional opportunities for economic growth,” Mayor Perea outlines. Mixed-use and multifamily development are part of this strategy, including the site of the medical campus, which has plans for ground-floor commercial retail with multifamily housing above. “We do need a pharmacy, maybe a small neighborhood-scale grocery store, some retail, and other medical offices that can support this development, as well as multi-family housing,” explains Juarez-Infante. The new municipal building site also has three acres available for mixed-use development.

The city is completing entitlement work to make these projects shovel-ready, with the hope of attracting national developers. “We want to have high density,”  he asserts. “We understand the cost of infrastructure has a larger benefit if we can raise several beneficiaries, customers, residents, and commercial users in a smaller area. So we’re building up, and that’s unusual for a community our size.”

 Investment in the Future

Another transformative project underway in Sunland Park is the South Connector Road, a major investment now budgeted at $165 million. The project will connect Sunland Park more directly to the border highway and Santa Teresa industrial complex, taking some of the heavy traffic out of the community. This new road is expected to reduce travel times and open new land for business expansion, while improving air quality by reducing congestion. “I think this is a great opportunity. The more that we can continue to grow, the better we’re going to be here in the region,” remarks Mayor Perea.

Water and wastewater service changes are also underway, as the city dissolves a joint powers agreement with Dona Ana County and establishes its own utility. Perea recounts, “We’re actually lining up for our first bond issuance for the utility right now. That’ll put revenues never before seen into the utility to help address maintenance issues from the past and actually help prepare for the future growth of the entire region.”

In addition to these major projects, Sunland Park continues to invest in the everyday quality of life for its residents. In the past year, the city opened a new motor vehicle department, began construction on new water department offices, and launched a food pantry to support residents in need.

Moving forward, the priorities are clear. “First and foremost, it’s water and wastewater. Without that, we cannot do anything we are planning to do,” Mayor Perea says. At the same time, efforts are being made to update older infrastructure while planning for new developments.

None of this is possible without strong partnerships, from the private sector to all levels of government. “Everything that we do here within the city of Sunland Park requires partners,” he affirms. “That’s paramount, that we maintain relationships with people all over, and also present a unified council. The council that’s coming in, they want to get on board for the growth that’s happening in the city of Sunland Park, but we want to make sure that it’s reasonable, that it is sustainable, and that it is in the best interest of the community long term.”

AT A GLANCE

Who: Sunland Park, New Mexico

What: A community of 20,000, ideally positioned for growth

Where: Dona Ana County, New Mexico

Website: www.sunlandpark-nm.gov