A housing development slated to go up in Surprise's northernmost reaches would be one of the city's first communities with equestrian trails in its design. Vistas Montanas, would be a community of 430 single-family homes. It would span 180 acres roughly bounded by 171st and 179th avenues to the east and west, and Dixileta and Peak View drives to the north and south. Vistas Montanas would go up on the border of Surprise's general planning area, a nearly 300-square-mile stretch of unincorporated land that extends northwest to the Yavapai County line. The community's horse trails are part of a city planning effort to blend suburban pockets with stretches of open desert as Surprise grows into that planning area, said City Planner Lance Ferrell. The goal is to have the acreage retain some of its rural characteristics, Ferrell said. The dirt roads that now border the project would eventually be built out into paved thoroughfares, according to city documents. The Vistas Montanas master plan also calls for four "tot lots" and a neighborhood park. A community retail center is planned for the nearby intersection of 163rd Avenue and Pat Tillman Boulevard. Walking trails would also be included in the community's design, and all of Vistas Montanas' trails are eligible to connect to a much larger regional trail system proposed along the Central Arizona Project canal, according to city documents.