Three basic Green Valley area trends and challenges emerged. They are central issues addressed in various elements of this Plan.
Green Valley is a unique place with a high reliance upon volunteer versus paid employees. One challenge is to maintain the historical level of volunteer participation.
While it is not an incorporated city or town, Green Valley is perceived by its citizens as a cohesive community. This is in large part due to the community-wide recreational and educational facilities, as well as community affairs volunteer leadership provided by two unique and successful non-profit organizations — Green Valley Recreation (GVR) and Green Valley Community Coordinating Council (GVCCC). The latter provides community-wide representation to county, state and federal agencies promoting the overall interests of Green Valley. It is significant that these two long-lived organizations have been able to carry out their broad agendas because of their large corps of dedicated community volunteers. In addition, more than 90% of our residents live in age-restricted neighborhoods managed by self-governed homeowner associations .
Maintaining and enhancing the volunteer character of the community requires planned strategies to engage more of the full and part-time resident population. The ability to motivate all Green Valley residents to participate in volunteer service will enhance their sense of identity and belonging to their "community."
The next 10 years will be a time of great change in the demographics of Green Valley. While the total population will increase by 26% during the period, the year-round population is projected to grow by over 35% due to new and more expensive homes being built that will primarily house permanent residents. Green Valley will have a more noticeable split in demographics between the growing proportion of younger, more active retirees, and older residents. These newcomers bring higher household incomes and demands for more upscale and new goods and services. At the same time there is a portion that desire to continue working, even if only part-time.
The Town of Sahuarita borders Green Valley on the north and east. With its plentiful supply of land and more youthful population, it will continue to add to an already younger environment in Green Valley’s immediate neighboring area. This young population is expected to grow at a greater rate than Green Valley’s 55+ age population.
Green Valley is not only an age-restricted residential community, but also serves as a short-term visitor attraction and destination, though it is most widely known currently as a haven for winter season residents. However, this part of southern Arizona is experiencing significant tourist-related investments and facilities for shorter-term individual and family vacationers, as well as business and professional groups from around the state, region, country and world. While the growth of tourism may not yet be as visible a trend in Green Valley as new home building or winter visitors, short-term tourism is and will continue to be a major socioeconomic impact in this community and region of southern Arizona. Spas, resorts, recreation, restaurants and hotels with accompanying meeting facilities will attract not only individual recreation and health-focused visitors, but also more conferences and meetings for visiting groups and organizations.