-December 7,2019-
The new Betty Dive interchange in Goshen is drawing plenty of commercial interest this fall, what is now Visalia’s most northern highway entrance into the industrial park and the booming northern parts of Visalia.
County economic development manager Mike Washam says a new Chevron “superstation” is under construction now at the southeast corner of the interchange that will feature not just a gas/convenience store but a drive-thru coffee place and a Burger King, the first national fast food chain to commit to Goshen.They could open this summer.
On the north east corner where the former Mack Lazarus trailer sales used to be, Visalia’s Omni Development is building an even more ambitious highway commercial complex on 16 acres. The headline here is that a big TA travel center will be part of it along with pads for three fast-food operations.
TA claims to be the largest publicly traded, full-service travel center company in the United States with over 270 locations. In the Valley there are TA stops in Bakersfield and Livingston on Hwy 99 and in Lost Hills on Hwy 5.
Add in a hotel and a 14 to 24 station Tesla supercharger station says Omni’s Luis Mota. The site also include an AM-PM station says Mota whose partner in Omni Development Group is Samer Sabbah.
The cluster of highway-related uses looks to mirror Kettleman City along Highway 5 as a pit-stop for travelers that also features a big Tesla charging station for cars the don’t need to stop for gas.
Besides development on the eastern side of the Betty Drive interchange -Goshen’s open land westside is calling to home builders with plans for 400 homes to be built by locally-based Smee Homes says the county’s Washam he adds that it has drawn interest from other builders now. “I would not be surprised if Goshen could see 1000 homes in this part of the town (west of 99) in the future.”
This is all pretty heady stuff for a this dust blown Hwy 99 farmworker community known for its high poverty rate and few services.To say the least, Goshen has never shown up on developer’s radar screen, other than some ag uses.
The coming of the big TA truck stop means motorists and truckers on Highway 99 will have a choice for fuel and food a few miles apart between all three of the big truck/motorist travel centers including newcomers Loves and Flying J in Tulare and now TA in Goshen, all helping to reduce the average gas price we all pay with stepped up competition.With all the traffic moving in and out of the industrial park both now and in the future, home to the new UPS superhub opening next year, this is going to be a busy place.