342-unit affordable multi-family project on Lovers Lane
Two large multi -family projects are going through the city site plan review process this week totaling almost 500 units.The largest called Caldwell Apartments, is located at the NW corner of Lovers Lane and Caldwell. The big development sits on 11.4 acres with 342 units termed 100% affordable, tiered to attract residents with various levels of income. The project is being built by Bay Area-based Maracor Development.
The second project- Packwood Apartments is a 144 unit market based complex being proposed by Ron Vander Weerd on 9.5 acres on Demaree south of Caldwell.
The filings follow the trend of a boom in construction of apartment complexes in Visalia this year that follows a slow decade of new apartment building here For the past 10 years, Visalia has permitted just 862 new apartment units in the city.
But there is plenty more space allocated and zoned for more if the market can sustain it. A city report says the General Plan inside the Tier 1 boundary, offers 320 acres for new apartment complexes totaling 4,230 units.
Property values up 7 percent in Tulare County/8.35 percent in Visalia
Tulare County property values are up nearly 7 percent in the past year according to a report of the 2022/23 property rolls from the County Assessor posted in late June. Total valuation countywide is $43.4 billion – up from $40.6 billion in 2021/22.
Visalia,Woodlake and Dinuba were all up over 8 percent.Visalia valuation reached $14.7 billion, up 8.35 percent from 21/22 when it was pegged at $13.6 billion.
Woodlake was up 8.5 percent and Dinuba was just under 8 percent.Lindsay was lowest with 2 percent growth. Tulare was 6.2 percent higher and Porterville was 7.4 percent higher than the year before. Exeter came in at 6 percent higher and Farmersville was up 5.6 percent.
Amazon spending $600K on hydrogen fueling tanks in Visalia
The two Visalia Amazon distribution centers will fuel at least some of their trucks with hydrogen, helping to clear the air as they move through the area. The state is promoting the plan to switch from fossil fuel-based diesel to hydrogen. To accommodate the new trucks Amazon is installing hydrogen fuel tanks at their facilities in the Visalia Industrial Park.The permits are valued at $600,000.
Transportation is a major component of Amazon’s business operations, says the company, and a key part of their plan to reach net-zero carbon by 2040. They are optimizing and transforming the transportation network through technological innovations, efficiency enhancements, and alternative solutions that allow them to deliver packages to customers more sustainably.
The transportation sector is responsible for roughly 28% of the CO2 releases in the United States.Under pressure to cut emissions, truck manufacturers are choosing between batteries and hydrogen fuel cells. Amazon is investing in both.A NY Times story recently said “Daimler Truck and Volvo, the two largest truck manufacturers, argue that fuel cells that convert hydrogen into electricity — emitting only water vapor — make more sense because they would allow long-haul trucks to be refueled quickly.”