May 7,2018
Goshen: Betty Drive could attract new commercial development
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The highway town of Goshen has a new community plan that is
expanding its urban boundary by more than 50 acres west of
Hwy 99 at the new Betty Drive interchange, setting the stage for
new highway commercial developments and hotels there.
On all sides Goshen is set to grow from its current size,1747
acres, adding another 1232 acres now that the plan has been
approved by the county Board of Supervisors. Betty Drive will be
its connection point to the world now that Ave 304, Goshen Ave
ramps will be closed once the interchange is complete later this
year.
East of the Betty Drive interchange look for a new Valley Travel
Center fueling station and others nearby that include east on
Riggin, connecting to the the Visalia Industrial park. The plan also
adds more residential and industrial land.
Visalia: VUSD moves /Brandman University to relocate
Visalia Charter Independent Study group, some 550
students strong, is planning a move from its scattered locations
around Visalia to a building next to Kmart at Noble and County
Center.
The 23,000sf office currently houses Brandman University. ”We
hope to buy the building” says Visalia Unified School District
superintendent Robert Groeber.
As for Brandman University, they are are not leaving town.
“Brandman University’s Visalia Campus will be moving to an
exciting new location within the Visalia community. The university
will make an announcement soon about its new campus!“ says
Sonia Gutierrez Mendoza, Director Visalia, Hanford and Lemoore
campuses.
The college, an affiliate of Chapman University, has been in
Visalia since 1994.A non-profit university serving Visalia is
focused on serving busy working adults and military students.It
is affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).They
have 25 locations.
Visalia: FHCN on the grow
Family Healthcare Network is continuing to grow including its new entry into the Fresno market and eyeing a possible larger administrative headquarters in Downton Visalia.
This summer they will take over three outpatient sites located on Community Regional Medical Center’s campus in downtown Fresno. Family HealthCare Network says they will continue the current partnership with the UCSF Medical Education program, where 272 residents from UCSF will train at the three sites.
Additionally, FHCN is expanding near downtown Porterville and will be opening a new 17,000 square foot clinic site on South Mooney Blvd in Visalia.
Non-profit FHCN operates 24 clinical sites located throughout Tulare and Kings Counties. The network has 700,000 annual patient visits – about 1,100 employees and 220 licensed professional staff.
Sources say FHCN needs more administrative space and is on the prowl for more in the Downton Visalia district where they are housed now on Center St.
Tulare’s Altura Health plans 5-building complex
Altura Centers for Health is planning a five-building campus in Tulare at the NEC of Hillman and Cartmill. The non-profit clinic already has six locations in Tulare and one in Woodville. Altura CEO Graciela Soto, who has been on the job for 15 years, says the new project will be built in several phases.
“We will be applying for a conditional use permit soon.” The clinic has owned the 10 acres they plan to build on in northeast Tulare for some time.
The first phase could be completed in 2020 she adds, three 12,000 square foot buildings valued at about $15 million each. Soto says the first phase building will house around 160 employees. One will be a new administration office. A second phase would follow, two speciality medical buildings.
Altura Centers for Health has been providing medical and dental care to the community since 1995. Historically the clinic was formerly owned and operated by Tulare Local Health Care District. It was purchased from Tulare District Hospital (TDH) on July 1998.
Altura first became a Federal Qualified Look A-Like Clinic in 1997 and in 2000 became a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), and is a deemed federal public health service employee. In addition, the clinic is a 501 (C) 3 Non-profit Organization.
Because of financial problems at Tulare’s acute-care hospital Soto says Altura has been busy this past year but ”Kaweah Delta in Visalia has been affected far more” she adds, with the closest emergency room. Indeed Kaweah’s hospital census popped to near 500 last February compared to 431 in Feb 2017.
Tulare hospital not only closed their hospital last November but shut down 3 primary-care clinics they operated that sources say may not re-open. That may be because Altura with 6 clinics in town, FamilyHealthCare Network (one location),Tulare Family Wellness Center and others appear to fill Tulare’s primary care demands well.
The majority of residents of Tulare like Tulare County itself, qualify for MediCal due to low incomes, the target population for the non-profit clinics. The most recent estimate of the number of persons eligible for MediCal in Tulare County is 257,455, about 56% of the county’s population.