-June 19,2020-

CarMax is back – seeks Planning Commission OK

Coronavirus may have stalled used car giant CarMax sales recently but the company is ready to move forward on their planned South Mooney store in Visalia as we enter the recovery.The company had earlier pulled their request for a conditional use permit back in April.

The Visalia Planning Commission has now set a hearing for the proposed 5-acre dealership for June 22. If approved a new showroom and sales yard would be located at a developing 28 acre shopping center at the SW corner of Mooney and Visalia Parkway.

If approved the project would likely be heard by the Visalia City Council where it faces an uncertain fate.

At issue is the location for the dealership that in the past had been denied to other Visalia car dealerships with the Mooney retail strip off limits to car sales. This and potential complaints by neighbors due to noise and lighting are potential issues.

Covid-19 has hurt CarMax sales reports the company in their latest earnings filing.

Comparable-store used unit sales declined 42% during the quarter, though rebounded part way in May, CarMax CEO Bill Nash noted in the company’s first outer earnings statement in the past few days.

Used-car sales have generally recovered better than new as consumers sought out bargains. According to Cox Automotive, new-vehicle sales fell 30% in May while used sales fell 22%. In the week ending May 28, new sales shrank 28%, but used sales rose 6%.

Perfection Pet Foods plans Visalia expansion

Pets are generally unaware there is a COVID-19 shutdown and will no doubt cheer a planned expansion of the big Perfection Pet Food plant owned by Western Milling in the Visalia industrial Park.

The company is seeking approval to build a new 150 ft storage tower and new 3600sf receiving building, The bigger tower elevator is ten feet taller than the existing tower that will remain. The company is seeking a variance to height limits in front of the Visalia Planning Commission June 22.

Akers “Food Court” construction underway

Restaurants around town are just now opening due to the Coronavirus impact but Visalia developer Harvey May says the crisis has had limited impact on plans underway to build the new Akers Plaza commercial center.

The project offers a clustered group of restaurants, “essentially a food court “ for Akers and the westside of Visalia.The new development, under construction now, s located at the southwest quadrant of Akers St. and Cypress Avenue in what was formerly part of the CIGNA parking lot that May bought from the County.

Located near major employers in the west end of town, they include Kaweah Delta ,the Lifestyle Center, CIGNA, the County and Visalia Unified. So the location should have “plenty of car traffic” that passes the development every day, he says.

Tenants who have committed to the location include Taco Bell, Dutch Bros Coffee’s first Visalia location, Little Caesars and Sourdough & Co. There is over 10,000sf of retail or restaurant space still available at the new project.

Tulare County jobless rate at 18.4%- up 10% from May 2019

The unemployment rate in Tulare County was 18.4 percent in May 2020, down from a revised 19.3 percent in April 2020, and above the year-ago estimate of 8.4 percent. This compares with an unadjusted unemployment rate of 15.9 percent for California and 13.0 percent for the nation during the same period. Year over year there are about 30,000 more who are jobless  compared to May 2019.The numbers are evenly divided between non-farm and farm jobs who  have lost about 15,000 each.