-April 7,2023-
Kaweah Health expected to move forward on Sequoia Gateway project
pictured:
Hwy 99 clinic in Fowler -a JV between Adventist Health and Valley Children’s
Despite tough financial times, Kaweah Health will likely move forward on a joint venture with private investors/physicians to build a new clinic complex at the Sequoia Gateway center on Caldwell and Highway 99. CEO Gary Herbst says they expect to close escrow soon on 7 acres the district hospital is buying near the proposed Valley Children’s clinic. The Fresno children’s hospital has closed escrow on their land confirms a spokesperson.Valley Children’s has a similar joint venture clinic with Adventist Health in Fowler along the 99 corridor (pictured). Adventist Health is a competitor to Kaweah -about to take over operation of the 49 physician strong Visalia Medical Clinic.
Herbst says when the new 99 complex is built “we would be able to move some of the district units out of crowded Downtown Visalia to the new site.”
Herbst adds that their agreement would not require more district investment other than the land and the investors would build and operate the clinic.
In 2020 Kaweh Health announced they would purchase the land but until now they did not move forward. At that time, they announced “Kaweah Health is purchasing land in the Sequoia Gateway project, at the corner of Caldwell Avenue and Highway 99, using a portion of the proceeds from its sale of 80 of 100 acres in southeast Visalia last year to Visalia Unified School District. Valley Children’s Hospital, Kaweah Health’s long-term partner in providing care to children in its Neonatal Intensive Care and Pediatrics units, has previously announced its plans to develop a pediatric specialty care clinic in the Sequoia Gateway development.”
The larger Sequoia Gateway project has been slow to develop with only a drive-thru coffee place operating as of now.Recently a major anchor tenant Great Wolf pulled out of plans for a hotel resort at the site.
BIG TULARE INDUSTRIAL WAREHOUSE GETS PERMIT
Chicago-based CA Industrial purchased 76 acres of open land in Tulare last year announcing they would build up to 1.1 million square feet of logistics space and perhaps double that in a future phase.
Now the City of Tulare has Issued a grading permit to build the firm’s first spec building ,a 545,000 sf warehouse at the southwest corner of Paige Avenue and South I Street. Construction of the project will likely take a year.It is Tulare’s first big logistics spec building, constructed before a tenant is identified. By contrast, Visalia has permitted several million square feet to big logistic firms like Amazon and others.
Visalia permits slide by two thirds
So far this year, the City of Visalia is seeing a decline by about two thirds in both the number of new homes permitted and the value of all permits. Multi-family permits are also down through March in Visalia after a big run up in 2022.High interest rates and tighter bank financing may be slowing the pace of all building activity in town this spring.Existing homes sales are also way down.