A rendering of "The Hill" a mixed-used development from Valley Children's Healthcare that would include up to 30 retail shops and 450 living units. Image via Valley Children's Healthcare

Valley Children’s Healthcare announced Thursday its plans for a 443-acre, mixed-use community it hopes will enrich the lives of hospital employees, patients and the community.

The future development will bring health care, housing, retail, recreation, office space and hospitality together at one location on Valley Children’s main campus.

“Our patients and families need more than a hospital and we need to ensure there is a sustainable financial future for Valley Children’s,” said the network’s president and CEO Todd Suntrapak. “The Hill is the perfect expansion for our main campus, designed to meet the needs of our patients and families, support our dedicated team and ensure a sustainable future for Valley Children’s.”

The Hill, a five-district community, will feature retail stores, hospitality, recreation and residential districts, surrounded by a health care district, which includes the hospital and River Vista Behavioral Health center, as well as clinical, research and administrative facilities.

The Hill’s residential district will include up to 450 studios, as well as one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, as well as townhome options in a wellness-centric neighborhood.

The retail district will feature more than 30 shops in a village-style environment, including grocery options, lofts above retail spaces and other retail necessities.

The community will be decorated with scenic walking paths connected to larger areas, making for easy access to any of the five districts.

“I believe it is a brilliant idea to enhance revenue at Valley Children’s for those services necessary to take care of kids, and Madera County is excited about the opportunity to help Valley Children’s move forward with this development,” said Madera County Board of Supervisors Chair Rob Poythress. “It is always about the care – that is number one. But it is also about supporting employees and residents in the area.”

The mixed-use community will serve as a financial safety net for the hospital, generating revenue to ensure the continued operation and services provided by Valley Children’s Network, according to a news release. Across the country 117 acute care hospitals closed their doors between 2018 and 2023, with many closures taking place during the pandemic.

In California, rural community hospitals continue to struggle to remain open, with nearby Madera Community Hospital — which closed its doors in January 2023 — still in the process of reopening.

Despite operating as a specialty hospital, currently, Valley Children’s Hospital is the only hospital operating in Madera County.

“We have spent the last decade creating a solid financial foundation for Valley Children’s, one that’s absolutely vital in an era when so many hospitals in the Valley have had to sell, reduce services or close,” Suntrapak said. “The Hill is a community that supports healthy living, the health of Valley Children’s and the care we provide to kids and the entire community.”

A timeline for groundbreaking and grand opening are yet to be determined as the project is still in early the development phase. Valley Children’s hopes to announce tenants soon according to Zara Arboleda, Valley Children’s director of communications and public relations.