'Lost' parcels of land discovered by Litchfield Park

By Madeline Ackley
Twitter: @Mkayackley

Most Litchfield Park residents are aware their city’s origins are closely linked to the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. 

Goodyear Co. bought the land that would become Litchfield Park in the early 20th century to farm long-stem cotton, and the city’s name comes from the pioneering company executive, Paul Litchfield. 

But many residents may not know Goodyear Co. still owns a small amount of land in Litchfield Park. 

These tiny strips of land, amounting to a little less than 20,000 square feet are north of Camelback park, on the southwest corner of Camelback and Dysart roads. 

City officials discovered the parcels still owned by the Goodyear Co. subsidiary Goodyear Farms while drawing up plans for a wall realignment along Camelback Road.

“While doing that...we discovered a couple of things that were unusual,” City Engineer Woody Scotten said during an Oct. 14 Recreation and Public Grounds Commission meeting. 

“There are two...long, skinny pieces of property that are still owned by Goodyear Farms. One is inside the park...the other one is outside the (existing) wall,” Scoutten said. 

The parcel on the outside of the wall houses the underground irrigation pipe that feeds water to the surrounding golf courses.

City Manager Matthew Williams told the Litchfield Park Independent the parcels are essentially useless to the tire and rubber company, and the city would like to acquire them. 

“We are working to acquire them as we will be rebuilding the section of wall along Camelback Park and we would like to move it as close to Dysart/Camelback as possible to gain additional park greenspace,” Williams said. “However, to do that we need these two parcels.”

Highlighted in red are the two parcels still owned by Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. The screenshot was taken from the Maricopa County Assessor's Office. 

In addition to expanding the park’s green space, the city also wanted a “more substantial wall” following the opening of the Dignity Health emergency room across the street. There was concern from city leaders that “some less than reputable people” might “find their way into Camelback Park,” Scoutten said that the Oct. 14 meeting. 

City officials have said that Litchfield Park is in talks with the tire and rubber company about having the land donated or somehow transferred to the city, but they have not spoken publicly about where they are in that process, or what the company’s reaction has been. 

Goodyear Co. officials have not yet responded to the Independent’s request for comment. 

How did this happen?

Williams said he believes the parcels were “lost” when Goodyear Co. transferred much of what would become the city’s land to Suncor Development Co. back in the 1980s. 

The city was incorporated in 1987, then known as the town of Litchfield Park. Following its incorporation, Litchfield Park began acquiring land from Suncor, including Camelback Park.

Even after the land moved hands from Suncor to the city, the small strips of land remained in possession of the tire and rubber company.

The company has continued to pay taxes on the land, and it is unclear if Goodyear Co. is even aware it still owns them. The taxes paid in the last decade, however,  are negligible for a company worth billions. 

Between 2012 and 2021, one of the parcels generated between $19 and $24 annually in taxes. The other parcel cost the company just $13 a year in taxes, according to records available at the Maricopa County Treasurer’s Office. 

Williams couldn’t say if there are other parcels like these in Litchfield Park still under the ownership of Goodyear Co.,  but he acknowledged the possibility. 

“If so, it wouldn’t be large properties but small parcels like these,” Williams said.

Madeline Ackley can be reached at mackley@iniusa.org or found on Twitter @Mkayackley.