The Litchfield Park City Council will conduct public hearings and consider a Planning and Zoning Commission recommendation to rezone 322 acres owned by Sun Health on the northwest corner of Litchfield and Camelback roads when it meets in regular virtual session at 7 tonight, Sept. 16.
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The Litchfield Park City Council will conduct public hearings and consider a Planning and Zoning Commission recommendation to rezone 322 acres owned by Sun Health on the northwest corner of Litchfield and Camelback roads when it meets in regular virtual session at 7 tonight, Sept. 16.
Approval will pave the way for Sun Health to build 70 new independent living residences, a community event center and fine-dining restaurant on its La Loma Campus.
City meetings are virtual until further notice. Those interested may watch on YouTube or Zoom. They also may listen by calling 669-900-6833 and entering meeting ID 883 8187 1520. To view the downloadable agenda, visit litchfield-park.org and click on the City Council Meetings tab.
Sun Health seeks to rezone the entire 322-acre property from Public Facility, Residential Estate and Neighborhood Commercial to 278 acres of Public Facility with a Planned Development overlay and 44 acres of Agritourism with a Planned Development overlay.
The property is part of what was Paul W. and Florence Brinton Litchfield’s 365-acre Rancho La Loma estate. Mr. Litchfield was president, CEO and board chairman of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. He purchased the land in 1919 and it served as the family’s winter home.
The Litchfields’ daughter, Edith Litchfield Denny, and her husband, Wally, donated 322 acres to Sun Health in 1999 and the organization operates the La Loma Village independent living community, and the La Loma medical plaza, care center and outpatient rehabilitation center on the campus.
The nonprofit organization plans to build The Orchard at Rancho La Loma on the site. The first phase will feature the 70 residences planned for completion in 2021. Phase II will feature the 17,000-square-foot event center and restaurant planned for completion in 2022.
In other business, the council will:
• Consider approving three special fall events, including a Saturday night drive-in-style movie in early October, the 50th annual Festival of the Arts with Vermillion Promotions, Nov. 6-8 and Oktoberfest on Oct. 17 on the front lawn of the Wigwam.
• Consider an ordinance authorizing the exchange of property with Pagebrook Holdings LLC, which owns the commercial buildings at the northwest corner of Wigwam Boulevard and Old Litchfield Road known as The Plaza commercial center, to adjust property lines and create a clear distinction between private property, city-owned property and public right-of-way.
• Consider approving up to $32,500 in matching funds for a Western Wildland Urban Interface grant to remove dead trees and other organic debris from 21 acres on the former Litchfield estate belonging to the city to reduce fire danger to historic buildings on the site, donated to the city in 2009 by the Litchfields’ granddaughter, Pamela Denny Blackford and her husband, John.
The Litchfield Park Historical Society is raising money and working with the city to transform the family’s former 5,400-square-foot home there into an 11,000-square foot heritage center featuring a museum, archive space, research library, meeting room, gift shop, gardens and community gathering spots.
Kelly O’Sullivan can be reached at kosullivan@newszap.com or 760-963-1697.
Kelly O’Sullivan News Editor | Litchfield Park& Goodyear @AzNewsmedia
Kelly O’Sullivan is a longtime journalist who joined Independent Newsmedia in January 2020, after returning to the Valley from Twentynine Palms, California, where she worked for eight years as a communications specialist for the U.S. Marine Corps. When she’s not covering stories of interest to Litchfield Park, Goodyear and other Southwest Valley residents, she stays busy rediscovering Arizona and photographing its spectacular landscapes and wildlife.
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