-March23,2020-
Arizona-based Aldi grocery store wants to open a new location on South Mooney Blvd in Visalia but is appealing a city planning staff ruling that it does not meet the classification as a Specialty Food Store allowed in current zoning. The appeal will be heard by the city Planning Commission March 23.
UPDATE: Commission postponed this meeting
Aldi wants to locate in a future Master Planned Development within the C-R (Regional Commercial) zone/land use district. The future Master Planned Development is located on the southeast corner of South Mooney Boulevard and West Visalia Parkway. The vacant site is within the city limits but is part of a 40-acre development that seeks annexation into the city (see red line on map).
The development is south of the Packwood Creek shopping center and across Mooney from the proposed CarMax project that is on the same agenda March 23. This project too faces rules that limit auto dealers on Mooney.
Regarding grocery stores, the existing City of Visalia rule does not allow supermarkets or grocers in regional commercial zones but there is an exception for specialty stores.
Aldi has been rumored to want a Visalia location for more than a decade. They now have opened stores in Porterville,Hanford and Fresno but never pulled the trigger here – until now.
With over 11,000 locations worldwide the Aldi grocery business is owned by a German chain that owns Trader Joe’s but has different model than their sister firm. Known as a no-frills store with extremely low prices. Aldi has over 1,600 stores in the United States and on track to become the third-largest grocery chain in the US by store count by 2022.
The average store is about 12,000sf -much smaller than a full-size 50,000sf supermarket. The company does not mind going head to head with Walmart or Costco and this location is just blocks from both in Visalia. The strategy will likely mean an Aldi store into southern part of Visalia and one in the future – in the north
Aldi may be getting a good deal from the property owner since the majority of the proposed shopping center acreage at this site needs annexation approval-not always a sure thing when there are so many empty retail buildings in town. City staff suggests they will approve the annexation however and it will then be up to the city council.
{photo) CarMax and Aldi are proposed to locate on South Mooney in Visalia on different corners
