Marley Park, Surprise, AZ
ClozeEZ's guide to Marley Park, Surprise: Marley Park occupies roughly 956 acres of Surprise bounded by Waddell and Cactus roads and Litchfield and Reems roads, with Bullard Avenue running through it as the main spine. 556 Surprise homes are for sale on ClozeEZ today.
Loop 303 sits four to five miles west at the Waddell Road interchange, and Grand Avenue offers a diagonal surface route northeast.
DMB developed the community in partnership with the Kemper and Ethel Marley Foundation, which owned the land; DMB is the same developer behind DC Ranch in Scottsdale and Verrado in Buckeye. It opened in 2005 and delivered homes through about 2020, with roughly 1,820 built against an entitlement of 3,800.
The design is neo-traditional and New Urbanist: deep front porches, alley-loaded garages in several sections, tree-lined streets, a walkable grid rather than cul-de-sac loops, and pocket parks on most blocks. The organizing device is the Arbor Walk, a tree-lined path more than 2.5 miles long that strings together 18 themed parks across 72 acres.
Around Marley Park
Restaurants & coffee
- Spencer's Place: Coffee bistro in Marley Park's own Waddell Road plaza, run by the nonprofit Employed and Overjoyed with most staff being adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities; a six-time Best of Surprise winner.
- Village at Prasada restaurants: Portillo's, Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant, Barrio Queen, Firebirds Wood Fired Grill, Lou Malnati's, Shake Shack, and First Watch, all within about ten minutes.
Shopping
- Village at Prasada: Open-air center at Loop 303 and Waddell now exceeding one million square feet, with Target, Kohl's, Dick's Sporting Goods, Nordstrom Rack, Hobby Lobby, HomeGoods, Sprouts, Sephora, and Ulta.
- Marley Park Plaza: The master plan's own neighborhood retail plaza on Waddell Road at the community's north edge.
Attractions & parks
- The Arbor Walk and 18 themed parks: A 2.5-mile tree-lined path connecting 18 uniquely themed parks across 72 acres, including Founders Park, Rose Garden Park, Mosaic Park with its public artwork, and Wisdom Park with its sunken-ship play structure.
- Heritage Park: A 25-acre park inside the community donated by the Marley Foundation and managed by the City of Surprise: two full-size baseball fields, a gated shaded splash pad, a citrus grove, five rentable ramadas, and an underground tunnel linking its two halves.
- Surprise Community Park: The city's flagship park straight up Bullard Avenue, with a stocked fishing lake, a large playground including a special-needs swing, two dog parks, volleyball and basketball courts, multiple pickleball courts, and a veterans memorial.
- Surprise Stadium and Recreation Campus: A 124-acre, 10,500-seat campus opened in 2002, spring-training home of the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals and fall home of the Surprise Saguaros.
Gyms & fitness
- The Heritage Club and Pool House: The community's roughly 6,000-square-foot clubhouse on about three acres, with a recreational play pool, a lap-style fitness pool, a splash pad, fitness space, and a multipurpose room with a catering kitchen.
- Willow Swim Park: A separate third pool area within the community, on the Arbor Walk.
- Surprise Aquatic Center: The city's 10,562-square-foot aquatic facility on Bullard Avenue next to Surprise Community Park, with a diving board and two winding water slides.
Getting around
- Loop 303 at Waddell Road: The community's primary freeway on-ramp four to five miles west, connecting south to I-10 and north toward Loop 101; budget 35 to 45 minutes to downtown Phoenix and 40 to 50 to Sky Harbor off-peak.
Selling in Marley Park? Keep your equity.
List your Marley Park home free on ClozeEZ and sell without a listing commission: a flat $200 Platform Success Fee is owed only if your home closes.
Marley Park: frequently asked questions
What is the Arbor Walk?
Marley Park's organizing feature: a tree-lined path more than 2.5 miles long connecting 18 themed parks across 72 acres, so nearly every block sits within a short walk of a park. Total parks and open space exceed 140 acres.
Who developed Marley Park?
DMB, in partnership with the Kemper and Ethel Marley Foundation, which owned the land. It is the same developer behind DC Ranch in Scottsdale and Verrado in Buckeye. The community opened in 2005.
Why is there a Rose Garden Park?
The Marley family farmed the site for generations, growing cotton and running a commercial rose garden. That agricultural history shows up in the park naming and in the citrus grove inside Heritage Park.
Is Heritage Park private to residents?
No. The Marley Foundation donated the 25-acre park to the City of Surprise, which manages it, so its ballfields, splash pad, and ramadas are open to the public rather than gated to the community.
Is there a golf course in Marley Park?
No course sits inside the community. Sterling Grove Golf & Country Club in Surprise is a nearby Jack Nicklaus design managed by Troon, but it is a private club for its own residents and members rather than a public-access course.