-March 2,2023-
Great Wolf Lodge will not build at Caldwell and Hwy 99 in Visalia after all says a top Tulare County economic development official.This week Mike Washam, Assistant Director, Economic Development & Planning Resource Management Agency, confirmed the Chicago-based developer of the Great Wolf resorts has decided not move forward on what had been touted as a $2 billion impact project to build a 500-700 room resort and water park at the the Sequoia Gateway Commerce Center. As recently as December, news reports said the resort project, first proposed in January 2022, was expected to break ground in 2023 and open in 2025. As of a few months ago, Washam was still optimistic.
Timing not right
But Washam says he was advised last weekend that the company,who have 19 Great Wolf resorts, decided that “the timing was not right” on the Visalia project suggesting they was busy breaking ground on several other new lodges in other parts of the country.”I don’t think they have any other potential locations in California they prefer” instead focusing outside the state, said Washam. Great Wolf has existing California locations in Anaheim and Manteca.
Washam has been leading an effort to bring Great Wolf to Tulare County offering an incentive package that included a15-year rebate of their bed tax and deferral of fees on the 35-acre project.The Board of Supervisors approved the offer last summer.
The project envisioned visits of up to 600,000 tourists each year, mostly from the Central Valley. Catering to families, all the Great Wolf resorts have an indoor water park, restaurants, arcades, spas, and children’s activities.
Washam says the County had taken care of the proper CEQA approvals although the scale of the project had drawn some opposition. ” The only remaining agreement that was pending but never finalized was with the City of Visalia” on the use of their wastewater facility. Talks on this issue have been going-on for months with no resolution. But besides now retired city council member Greg Collins, no other city opposition has surfaced publicly.
For the property owner – Sequoia Gateway Commerce Center- the loss of this big anchor tenant must be a bitter disappointment given the long wait to develop their center, first discussed at a county hearing back in 2015.To date only one highway commercial tenant has built on the open land -a Dutch Bros coffee drive-thru.
Two medical clinics have been proposed on the land – one by Valley Childrens Hospital for a clinic and one by Kaweah Health. Neither have moved forward but Valley Children has purchased their property.
Washam says he understands another developer may be interested in buying the entire 126-acre Sequoia Gateway land to develop it.The former farm field was approved for commercial development by the County since it is located outside the Visalia City limits.