Located northwest of Phoenix, the City of Surprise is home to two communities, Mountain Vista and Northwest Ranch, comprising a total of 750 acres. Master planned for residential and commercial use, the properties include 2,650 single-family residential lots and a 256-unit apartment complex connected by 75 acres of parks, and open space. Walking and bicycle trails, an outdoor exercise course, picnic areas and ramadas, softball and soccer fields, and an amphitheater allow residents to enjoy the outdoors while seamlessly connecting with neighbors. A retail center provides shopping and services, and a charter school was also built to serve residents. The communities were sold to a number of publicly traded homebuilders.

To facilitate this project, Harvard assisted the City of Surprise in forming their water utility to better serve new residents.