Brookfield Residential and Lennar will break ground tomorrow on The Groves in Whittier, a 75-acre development which will transform the former Whittier State School and Correctional Facility into houses, retail, and recreational space. 

The project at 11850 Whittier Boulevard calls for the construction of 561 for-sale homes, 189 apartments - including 60 targeted towards seniors - and 150,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space.  Plans also call for new neighborhood parks and open space, as well as the restoration and reuse of four buildings from the 1920s and 1930s as part of the commercial and residential areas.

Proposed recreational facilities will include a 4,000-foot walkway cutting through the project site, as well as numerous pocket parks, a swimming pool, and a recreation center adapted from a former Commissary and Chapel.

The property, which began its life as a reform school more than 125 years ago, previously housed agriculture - including an orchard that was active through the 1960s.

Brookfield and Lennar anticipate an opening of The Groves in Spring 2020.