FAQs and Answers
Housing Development Project at Mater Dolorosa

In the three years since the proposed development on the lower portion of the Mater Dolorosa property was approved by the City of Sierra Madre, some questions have come up about what will be done on the property, and why.  We have prepared this FAQ to provide answers to the questions we have heard.  If you have other questions, should you need further information, please contact Mr. Keith Zekind, Director of Finance for the Holy Cross Province, at Keith@cppo.org. Phone # 847.518.8844, extension 2303.

1. Why do we need to sell the property?
   The sale of the undeveloped property below the Retreat Center is the last in a series of property sales initiated by the leadership of The Passionists of Holy Cross Province in 2007.  Surplus property at Passionist facilities throughout the U.S. have been sold to raise much-needed funds, just as any private property owner might sell a real estate asset that they were not using.
2. Where is the money going to, and why is the money needed?
   Funds from the property sale will go to the Province, not to Mater Dolorosa.  It will be used to fund the Passionists’ missions and activities in the United States and abroad, and to care for the needs of our senior priests and brothers.
3. Is Mater Dolorosa going to be able to use the funds so donations will no longer be needed?
   No, we are not the beneficiary of the land sale and will receive none of the funds.  We will still be dependent on our gracious and faithful donors to supplement the funds we receive from hosting retreats.
4. How will the project impact the Retreat Center’s serenity and peaceful atmosphere? 
   This was one of the primary considerations of our property development team.  The team worked with the developer and the City of Sierra Madre to create a plan that would minimize impacts to the quiet, peaceful experience that is so important to the Retreatants who come to Mater Dolorosa.  Of all the options the property development team considered, a single-family home development was found to be the quietest and least intrusive.  The Steps of the Cross, Meditation Garden and other outdoor features used by Retreatants will remain as is, and there will be a landscaped buffer between the homes and the Retreat Center’s property.  The homes will also be at a lower elevation, so the long-distance views from our garden areas will be unaffected.
5. How should we feel about the sale of property?
   While many of us thought it would be nice to be able to keep the entire property, we realize that God would be pleased if we would put it to a better use.  We are therefore grateful for the land sale, because it will help the Passionists to continue to proclaim God’s love for the world as revealed through the Passion of Jesus Christ, and to care for our senior priests and brothers.
6. Will the retreat center be closed during the project?  How is Mater Dolorosa supposed to function during construction?
   The Retreat Center will not be closed during construction, and our operations will be able to continue normally.  There will be no construction activities on weekends, so Retreatants will not be bothered by construction noise, and access into and out of the site will always be maintained.
7. Who is developing the site and what is being built?
   We partnered with the developer New Urban West because they understood our unique requirements as a meditative Retreat Center and worked diligently to answer our concerns and meet our needs.  New Urban West has since brought in a development partner, Toll Brothers.  They will build 42 single-family homes on the site and provide a three-acre public park near the entry to the property on Sunnyside Lane.  The project, called The Meadows at Bailey Canyon, will be the most sustainable new home development in Sierra Madre’s history, with net zero water use, 100% electric and solar homes, native landscaping, and water conservation measures.  Nearly 500 new trees will be planted on the project site.   For more information, you can visit the project’s website at www.newurbanwest.com/themeadows.
8. What is the schedule for the project’s development?
   As is so often the case, opponents of new home development in Sierra Madre brought a lawsuit challenging the City’s approval of the project.  That could delay the start of construction until the summer of 2025, or possibly later.  Typically, the site’s grading and installation of infrastructure will occur as soon as the litigation is over, and homes will then be constructed in pace with market demand.