The Visalia Planning Commission is expected to approve a plan to rezone 16-acres of city owned land at the northwest corner of Akers and Riggin for a possible shopping center.The Commission will take the matter at their August 11 meeting.
The idea to rezone the property, now bare land, has been taken up at several city council study sessions. The proposal is to change the land use designation on a 16-acre portion of a 21-acre parcel from Parks/Recreation to Commercial Mixed Use. The rezoned land is likely to be sold to a developer, likely through an RFP process, and should attract buyers in this northside corridor where plenty of new homes and commercial retail activity is underway like the new Costco nearby.
On the same block of land are several VUSD schools and a planned 30-acre multifamily development to the west. A widened Riggin road should improve access to the development.
Staff at the city planning department have bounced around the idea of a mixed-use retail center similar to one in San Luis Obispo that features multi-tenants with a big food court.