Forever 21 stores in Bakersfield, Fresno & Tulare closing – but not Visalia
Going-out-of-business sale signs are up at the Forever 21 stores in Fresno and Bakersfield. Employees at the Visalia Mall location say their store is remaining open, a story confirmed by Visalia Mall manager Rick Feder.
But the Tulare Outlet Mall location will be closing, says an employee at the store, where signs are posted.
The parent company is going through a tough time and may go through a second bankruptcy process since 2019. Visalia Mall owner Brookfield Properties owns a stake in the LA-based discount fashion retailer.
Visalia Mall manager Rick Feder says the Forever 21 store in Visalia is “right size” at 12,500sf. By contrast the Fresno Forever 21 location is a former Gottschalks space at around 150,000 sf – what is an anchor-size space. He says that’s the case in lots of the stores that are closing- “not practical in today’s retail market.”
Reports say the company plans to close some 200 stores across the nation.
Costco gets a permit for Riggin Ave fueling station
Costco Wholesale is ready to break ground on their northside warehouse project at Riggin and Shirk starting with a 16-island fueling station. The city issued the permit February 11. The new service station will have 32 gas pumps compared to 24 pumps at the existing Costco in town. Hanford’s Costco has 16 pumps.
The 12,684 sf construction project is valued at $4 million. Building permits for the warehouse itself are expected soon.
Hearing March 3 on big industrial project
The Visalia City Council will consider a new industrial park on Monday, March 3, 2025, at 7:00 p.m.The big project is called the Shirk-Riggin Industrial Project, with a total building footprint of approximately 3,720,149 square feet on 284 acres.The largest industrial project in Visalia history, the development is being proposed by Seefried Industries.The land is owned by the Ritchie family.
The public hearing will consider the Certification of a Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR), development agreement, general plan amendment, conditional use permit, and tentative parcel map. The EIR has determined that all project impacts were either less than significant or could be mitigated to a less than significant level except for the following impacts that are considered significant and unavoidable: Agriculture and Forest Resources (project and cumulative level); Air Quality (project and cumulative level); and Noise (project and cumulative level).
The Final EIR follows a Notice of Availability period wherein the Draft EIR was duly noticed and conducted for the Project from April 11 to May 28, 2024.
If approved there will be an initiation of proceedings for annexation of three parcels totaling approximately 284 acres into the City limits of Visalia. Upon annexation the area will be zoned Industrial (I) and I-L (Light Industrial) consistent with the land use designations of the Visalia General Plan Land Use Map.
The proposed Project is located on approximately 284 acres, on the north side of Riggin Avenue between Shirk Street and Kelsey Street.