Planning a Restaurant

Yes, that is correct. There was a small movie theater at LaRonde back in the mid to late 1970s. I remember seeing a couple of movies there as a teenager. Arrowhead was no place in sight. If you can only imagine Sun City sat out here like an island. That explains the many varieties of restaurants and all the small shops. It felt like it's own little resort town as I remember. It was quite charming out here. You had those decorative orange trees every place. The colors of the homes were all muted pastels and beiges. Front yards consisted mostly of yellow, lime green, pink and yellow stone yards. Very few trees. It kind of had this 'candy-land' feel to it. That is what I remember.

 

I wrote letters some 10 years ago to BOD asking to buy the former Lakes Club building, now the nursing building with Core Institute. In my mind, I thought it would of been fantastic if we had bought the building and make it into a wonderful fine dining restaurant. With those back views of the lake front, I could envision a nice small jazz combo, piano player in there with great views of the lake in the evening.
I guess I must be stuck in the 1960s because no one took me up on it. I still think it could of made a very nice dinner place once again. I think we missed an opportunity.

 

I think the encroachment of growth with Peoria, ( Arrowhead area), and also what Bill said was true, that restaurants out here struggle when winter residents leave and the town shuts down during the hot summer months.

 

Please do.

 

Please explain

The thing I do know is including Corte Bella there are more nice restaurants you can go to in SCW via golf cart. Georges and JiMichaels get a little tiring. Little Bite of Italy is the worst Italian food I have ever had. I heard sunset bistro has good sandwiches, Bobby's Cafe is under new management so maybe things have changed, Benny's Burgers is everyone's go to for a great burger calorie splurge. Pad Thai is ok and there is a Mediterian place in the Ace shopping center. Have not been there but two friends told me not to bother.

Eileen stated on this thread:

"There was a small movie theater at LaRonde back in the mid to late 1970s. I remember seeing a couple of movies there as a teenager. Arrowhead was no place in sight. If you can only imagine Sun City sat out here like an island. That explains the many varieties of restaurants and all the small shops. It felt like it's own little resort town as I remember. It was quite charming out here. You had those decorative orange trees every place. The colors of the homes were all muted pastels and beiges. Front yards consisted mostly of yellow, lime green, pink and yellow stone yards. Very few trees. It kind of had this 'candy-land' feel to it. That is what I remember."

So When I say SC is not the same you get to harass and demean me, but when someone points out the changes it's fine. Talk about double standards. I have been saying the same for years about SC minus the "candyland feel".

 

I see several people mentioned Dominic's as fine dining. I hope you aren't referring to the one at 99th and Bell.

 

I think/hope the steakhouse in Scottsdale.

 

I remember my first Christmas here in 1974. My Father liked it out here and we would take drives in here. Being from Chicago and all, I remember the first time I saw a stone front yard with Santa on his sleigh and cactus about, I thought that was the funkiest thing I ever saw, coming from the Midwest. Always stands out in my memory.

 

I've seen that place, is it still open? Is it any good?

 

I think we should have Buona Beef restaurant in here. I've written the owners in Chicago, I think it would be perfect at Boswell and Bell rd. Across from Bank of America there. I think there menu and food would be perfect for our demographic, and they have an attractive look to there restaurant which would fit in nicely in that location. Take a look at them online and tell me what you think everyone! I have heard that they may be coming to Arizona in the near future, they bought Rainbow Cones which will be coming in the Prasada area later this year, for all my south side blogsters!

 

I absolutely love your optimism. It's that Midwest Oak Lawn Spirit!

 

That's right, Josie!

 

I'm surprised nobody mentioned Dominic's Bistro Italiano in the Promenade shopping center at the corner of 99th and Bell Road. You can catch their lunch specials that have certain items for $9 before 3 p.m. They are smaller portions of course, but you also get a salad and warm bread!!!!

Buon Appetito!

 

Lot's of interesting comments here and the history references are always a delight for me. For many, picturing what the community was in the DEVCO era (1960-1980), is difficult. Pictures from 1959 shows virtually nothing (other than the 1200 homes sold in Youngtown) existed in most of the West Valley. Truly, we were a desert, a lush oasis of cotton fields and orchards (lush may be hyperbole).

The disconnect is how we view what's here today, surrounded by communities that exploded; Peoria, Glendale and Surprise. Picture Sun City circa 1960 and the first real shopping center and the impact that had. Picture 1969 when we moved across the tracks north of Grand Ave; a lake, resort style rec center and a year later a huge hospital complex. Picture 1974 when we moved north of Bell Road, which finally got paved a few years earlier.

Now compound it all, not just with those moving into the community, but the 100,000 plus visitors who poured through our community yearly. There was a reason they built 14 restaurants and leased them to owners, the traffic flow was an endless stream of those vacationing and visiting the community. DEVCO didn't build them to make a profit (though they did), they built them (and everything else), to sell homes. It was marketing 101.

By the time they left for Sun City West (1978/1979), much had changed in the West Valley. Growth was substantial and shopping centers weren't unique and in fact shopping trends were already evolving to bigger stores. It's why Sun City West developed a more hub/centrally located center of town. Of course, it all would have worked out differently if the president of the Webb Corporation, Bob Swanson (1981/1982), hadn't come in and sold off a third of the Sun City West's available land. It included all of what is now The Grand and the area in Surprise where the baseball field and tennis courts are. Imagine what Sun City West would have looked like, crossing both Grand Ave and Bell Road.

The point here is, times change, people change, communities evolve to adjust to the circumstances around them. Age restricted communities have their own unique set of characteristics and challenges. Outside our walls, with ever expanding growth into city's around them, the need for services within their walls changes as well. There's a reason the vast majority of senior communities don't have shopping, hospitals or of late golf courses within their walls; land is too expensive to "waste" on things just next door.

Sun City and Sun City West were built before all of that, which is why our two communities were so unique; and also why we have problems with empty store fronts and organizations built around volunteers. It's why i preach understanding our history is so critical to understanding our path forward. Nothing we do should take on a cookie cutter approach, everything should be on the table and open for discussion and debate.

Does an upscale restaurant make sense? It would have (IMHO), had we bought the Lakes Club, had a theater in it and had made it our missing link; A true Community Center. Does it now? No idea, not up to me, but is should be up for discussion by the community; you know, like we are doing here. As noted in another thread, engaging the membership is critical to our future.

Had we done that in 2012, had we allowed the members to speak out regarding the Lakes Club, we may well not look anything like we do today.

If only eh?

 

So, the Acuity building for sale? How many square feet is available? Is it large enough to be renovated into a fine dining establishment with a theater attached for shows and other events? Does it have better parking available at this location? Isn’t this building more centralized in the community rather than the far reaches of Sun City? Does making the Acuity building a wise investment for the RCSC and the community? You folks tell me, because I see a potential opportunity, you folks have your own ideas about what could be.

The Core Institute has no plans to sell the former Lakes Club. Not now or the future, and will not entertain any offers. Per a phone call to the corporate office real estate development team. Thought it was worth a try.

 

I believe the original intent and thought process of the RCSC when they were considering buying it was, that it would be more cost effective to purchase that property and move all the corporate offices and Clubs located at Lake View there, rather than having to locate local vacant space, rent it, and move all those activities from the Lake View property when the time came to renovate Lake View, which is next on the list.

Apparently they couldn't come to terms. The RCSC wasn't willing to pay their price as they were considering the expense involved to renovate that existing building, which also required demolition of a portion to meet parking requirements.

That all, of course, was part of the thought process that Lake View would be the location for the Performing Arts Theater!

 

It's real hard for us to get even a solid franchise in here. Most of these companies want to have their restaurants off our newer freeways where they can make the most money, new housing and new venues are. I would love to get Buona Beef ( Chicago) or Polly's Pies ( Los Angeles chain) in here, but not sure if they would consider doing it based on the criteria I stated above. If anyone knows any good franchisee, please let them know. I mean you just never know. Things just may not ever change now because of the risk and poor economic factors.

 

Read all about RCSC BUYING BUILDINGS
TOSC previous discussion thread:
https://talkofsuncity.com/threads/rcsc-buying-buildings.5862/

General info that was in the Sun City Indepedent article, April 25, 2024, print edition, most everyone gets it delivered free weekly. Some read it, hope most do for credible local information.

“The board was offered a chance to purchase the former Acuity Specialty Hospital at the intersection of Thunderbird Boulevard and North 111th Avenue April 21. The offer was not made with a set price being discussed. The facility had been to auction starting at $1.6 million, but the highest bid of $2.95 million did not meet the price required for its sale, prompting the seller’s agent to contact RCSC.”

Source: Sun City Independent
RCSC invites resident input on opportunity
Board offered 4.6 acre building for purchase ( Article headline)
Posted Thursday, April 25, 2024
By Scott Tynes | Independent Newsmedia
https://talkofsuncity.com/threads/rcsc-buying-buildings.5862/

 

I am personally not familiar with the property so commenting on specifics is not in my purview. What I am asking is if this property would be a prudent investment for the RCSC to consider? There are folks better informed about construction and remodeling costs, and comparing what could be done at such a location versus trying to modify one of the rec centers into something it probably can’t be. From reading what the Acuity property offers versus trying to create that same amount of space into an existing rec center seems kind of attainable to me. Again, I have no experience in construction or commercial property development so all I can do is surmise what could be done with additional space versus trying to add space where it doesn’t exist. And it’s already in Sun City so we are not trying to replicate it outside the white walls.
When the Lakes Club was offered to the RCSC, I believe it was for $8 million dollars and Sun Health retained the ownership of the dirt under the building. We would have purchased the building only. I can only guess what the outcome could have been long term. We were never afforded the opportunity to discuss further details about how the total property could be purchased as the building was sold while we were told talks were underway with Sun Health.
Fast forward to today and another property presents itself. Is this a good investment? Should we investigate its potential, or are we sure it doesn’t meet any of our needs? I suspect this will be the last time the property will be available for purchase, as commercial property is selling and to be in a good location for development can make it attractive for an investor to purchase the property and create condos or multi family living. Do we watch another opportunity lost or is this an opportunity to walk away from?

 

By viewing the aerial view of Acuity, it appears to being multiple pods connected with hallways. The current footprint could be converted into two separate wings. One side a restaurant/upscale shopping area and the other into a small venue suitable for theater presentations or other entertainment activities that could be arranged for the audience. This would keep the current footprint intact. Looking at the parking lot, it appears it is small so some of the outdoor space would need to be converted into parking.
This is not a small undertaking and requires capital expenditures. But is the overall cost to accommodate what this community needs better suited in a different building or continue to try to expand the rec center space and lose some of the amenities at each considered location? I have no idea, just making suggestions and pondering what could be.

Amended to include another idea. Incorporate a culinary school at the restaurant side of the venue, making it upscale dining but also offering students the opportunity to further explore their craft and invite different menu options through the student and resident input. Perhaps offer cooking classes for the members during the off hours, utilizing the space for multiple activities.