Litchfield Park greenlights La Loma Campus expansion

By Kelly O’Sullivan
Twitter: @AzNewsmedia

The former Paul W. Litchfield estate property at Camelback and Litchfield roads is about to change forever, with projects designed to pay homage to the city’s past while moving it forward.

The Litchfield Park City Council voted unanimously in a special session Thursday, Oct. 29, to approve a development agreement with Sun Health and rezone the 322-acre site, allowing the nonprofit corporation to begin expanding its La Loma Campus with a new independent living community, 17,000-square-foot event center and restaurant, and a 43-acre farm-to-fork farm and retail area where the family of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. president and CEO operated an orchard from the late 1930s to the 1970s.

After the vote, Paul Vanderveen, Sun Health’s vice president of real estate, planning and development, could be seen on screen giving two thumbs up.

“This is pretty momentous,” he said via telephone Oct. 30. “We’re going to create something very unique.”

Sun Health currently operates La Loma Village independent living community, and the La Loma medical plaza, care center and outpatient rehabilitation center on the campus.

While the council voted to rezone the entire 322 acres and approved the umbrella development agreement, each phase of development will be subject to separate staff review and final council approval.

Sun Health’s next step will be to present designs for its first phase, The Orchard at Rancho La Loma, to the city’s Design Review Board at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, then return to the City Council for a vote on the $28 million project’s final development plan at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18.

READ: Sun Health to build new residences, event center on La Loma Campus

If all goes well, Sun Health could break ground on The Orchard and begin site preparation in December, Mr. Vanderveen said.

The Orchard will feature 70 residences the company hopes to have completed for occupancy in 2021. Residents will have three living options:

• Casita Estates, offering two floor plans and two residences within each property.
• Arboleda Terraces, a new style for Sun Health Communities, offering five residences per building, with three different floor plans including one- and two-bedroom options with individual garages.
• Morada Villas, offering 16 residences per building with four floor plan options, both one and two bedrooms.

Phase II will include the event center and restaurant, which will be open to the community at large, as well as La Loma residents.

The 17,000-square-foot event center and restaurant, which Mr. Vanderveen said he hopes will be completed by the 2022, will feature adjustable spaces to accommodate large ballroom, small classroom and boardroom-style meetings.

It is expected to serve as a resource for the cities of Goodyear and Litchfield Park, as well as nearby Luke Air Force Base. Sun Health also will conduct wellness programs in the facility, he said.

READ: Historical society seeks Southwest Valley artifacts, images

While there is no hard timeline for the agritourism portion of the property, Mr. Vanderveen said planting could begin as early as next spring if a farmer signs on, soil improvements are completed and the council approves its final development plan.

“I would like it to go in sooner rather than later,” Mr. Vanderveen said, noting that Sun Health officials are working with a local farmer they hope will come on board.

READ: Just won’t quit: Farming families persist as development gobbles up land

“I really appreciate the city and Sun Health partnership,” Mr. Vanderveen said. “The mayor and the staff have really worked hard with us these past few months.”

Litchfield Park Mayor Thomas L. Schoaf agreed with Mr. Vanderveen’s assessment that developing the property will be momentous for the city and the Southwest Valley.

“We’re excited about the development on this parcel, our last large parcel for build-out,” he said.

In addition to providing housing options for new residents and longtime residents who want to move from their current homes onto the La Loma Campus, Mr. Schoaf said the city expects the agritourism area and the Litchfield Park Historical Society’s project to transform the Litchfield family’s former hilltop home adjacent to The Orchard into an 11,000-square-foot heritage center featuring a museum, archive space, research library, meeting room, gift shop, gardens and community gathering spots will be a huge draw.

READ: P.W. Litchfield Heritage Center progresses despite pandemic

“It will not only attract people from across the Valley but across the nation and possibly the world” who have an interest in farming and the area’s rich history,” he said.

Kelly O’Sullivan can be reached at kosullivan@newszap.com or 760-963-1697.