Arizona Contractor & Community Fall 2015 V4 I3 | Page 18

Christia Gibbons

L

orenzo Perez and his partner Jon
Kitchell saw the in-fill adaptive reuse
potential of the former Ralph’s Citrus
Nursery at 12th Street, north of Glendale
Avenue and bought the property in 2008.
Then they talked to neighbors and
learned a bit of history about the place and
were hooked. They heard about cocktail
citrus trees – grafted trees of oranges,
limes and grapefruits rolled into one –
petting zoos, and a sense of community.
Now Venue Builders/Venue Projects is
preserving a 1920s adobe and 1950s ranch
house on the two-acre property called The
Orchard Phx to create an “urban
neighborhood center,” said Perez, the
company’s director of development.
“Imagine La Grande Orange at the Farm at
South Mountain, that kind of fusion.”
Expected opening is November or
December.
As the tenant, Lucia Schnitzer of Luci’s
Healthy Marketplace on Bethany Home at
16th Street is contributing her own
philosophy to “enhance a community. …

For us it’s building a business for the
community.”
There will be a restaurant, café, and
market. On the lawn between the buildings
there will be outdoor events such as
movies, Easter egg hunts, pumpkin
patches, and picnics at Luci’s at The
Orchard.
There will even be a splash pad for the
kiddies, said Cal Detwiler, director of
construction operation. “It’s a perfect
combination of elements and place to hang
out,” Detwiler said, adding he is looking
forward to taking his three young children
and wife Susan there. “My wife is a civil
engineer whose office is close by and
there’s a need for more lunch places for
workers in the neighborhood.”
The
property-turned-$3.5-million
project on 12th Street was actually the
company’s first acquisition. As developer,
builder and owner, Perez said he and his
partners are bringing to bear all they
learned from developing Windsor, a bar
and restaurant at 5223 N. Central Ave, and
The Newton, a mixed-use project that
includes a restaurant and bookstore.
“We invite our tenants to invest with
us,” Perez said, who originally joined forces
with Kitchell to “place make,” as he calls it.
The goal always has been small commercial
projects with a social connection. They
brought in Detwiler and Aaron Genova
several years ago and Kitchell & Perez
evolved into Venue Builders (construction)
and Venue Projects (redevelopment).
“We’re all pretty much natives and wanted
to do inspired projects to make our city
better,” Perez said.
The company also is involved in
custom home-building.

Images courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

Construction Around Arizona

Nursery Blossoms into
Green Urban Center

Construction-wise, there is a trick to
working with such old buildings, Detwiler
said. The 1920s building is being added to,
while being modernized. The building has
a basement, and the builders are making
it restaurant-ready. “It’s way more
intricate than stick framing a one-story
house,” he said.
“I want to give a plug to Luci,” he said.
“They are good people and their concept
is exciting.”
Schnitzer feels the same about Venue.
Her business model has been courted by
others, but when she viewed The Orchard
Phx project she just knew it was the right
place.
This location will have more
restaurant and fewer groceries than her
Bethany Home Road establishment,
Schnitzer said. The ranch house eatery will
be fast, quick service, including an ice
cream parlor, wine bar, juice bar, and
picnic lunches. The market aspect will be
more fun gifts, “like hostess gifts – wine,
cheese, and our own salsas, guacamoles,
and hummuses.”
The restaurant, which has yet to be
named, will be in the 1920s house and
feature Arizona flavors. “The ambience will
be reflective of a house,” Schnitzer said.
“The restaurant side is about friends and
family and creating memories.”
For
more
information,
see:
venuebuilders.com

Left: Carpenter Rafael Cruz and
Superintendent Joe Plat at the Orchard
Phx project.
eighteen

Fall 2015