Site preparation for The Orchard at Rancho La Loma on the grounds of the former Paul W. Litchfield estate is coming soon.
The Litchfield Park City Council approved Sun Health’s final development plan and designs for the independent living project during its virtual regular meeting Nov. 18 with a stipulation that the company ensures sidewalks on the outer perimeter of the community are eight feet wide.
Once permits are in place, the company will break ground on the much-anticipated $28 million, 15.5-acre first phase of its La Loma Campus expansion.
Sun Health owns 322 acres on the northwest corner of Camelback and Litchfield roads gifted to the nonprofit by the Litchfield Family in 1999. It operates La Loma Village independent living community, and the La Loma medical plaza, care center and outpatient rehabilitation center on the campus.
The name, “The Orchard,” pays homage to the area’s rich farming history as well as the citrus orchard the family ran on the site from the 1930s to the 1970s.
Paul Vanderveen, the company’s vice president of real estate, planning and development, told the council Sun Health planned to submit dust and grading and drainage permit applications Nov. 19.
“We’ve had a busy last few months. I want to thank you all for your time,” he said, noting that staking for the $28 million, 15.5-acre project has been staked.
The Orchard will feature between 60 to 76 residences the company hopes to have ready for occupancy in 2021.
Residents will have three living options:
• One-story Casita Estates;
• Two-story Arboleda Terraces, a new style for Sun Health Communities; and
• Three-story Morada Villas.
The community will feature interior and exterior sidewalks for pedestrians, Mr. Vanderveen said. Golf carts and regular vehicles will share The Orchard’s perimeter streets, which will have a speed limit of 12.5 mph like other Sun Health communities.
Additional phases of expansion will include a 17,000-square-foot event center and fine-dining restaurant scheduled for completion in 2022 for use by residents as well as the community, 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.
For more information about the project, visit rancholaloma.org or call 623-537-7555. For more information about Sun Health, its communities and programs, visit sunhealth.org.
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.
The Orchard,
The Orchard at Rancho La Loma,
La Loma Campus,
Sun Health,
Sun Health Communities,
independent living,
Litchfield Park,
city of Litchfield Park,
Litchfield Park City Council,
Paul W. Litchfield,
Litchfield estate,
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.,
farm-to-fork,
community events center,
fine dining,
Paul Vanderveen,
La Loma Village,
La Loma medical plaza,
golf carts
By 
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here