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Current Real Estate News by County

Real Estate News by County

FRESNO COUNTY

• The region’s largest city, Fresno, with an industrial base of 55 million square feet and an eight percent vacancy rate, has approximately 1 million square feet of industrial space under construction and another million square feet in the planning stages.
• North Pointe Business Park, a new 230 acre master-planned park, just broke ground on their first building. The 110,000 sq. ft. building will be the new expansion facility for Corporate Express --- doubling the size of their former facility and adding three new presses.
• ISN (Integrated Supply Network) and Hagemeyer both recently opened distribution facilities in Fresno County.                                                                                                                                  
• A food processing plant will start construction soon on 1000 acres on the west side of Fresno County. The facility will cost $200 million to construct and add 220 jobs to the area. The company has already completed an Ag venture related to the project.
• New Class A office space has been completed in downtown Fresno and the Palm Bluffs area. More Class A space is planned for Palm Bluf

KERN COUNTY

• At the southern end of the region, the Bakersfield industrial market includes approximately 23 million square feet, with a vacancy rate of less than five percent. Finished industrial lots are few in the city, but many remain in the outlying areas.
• The International Trade and Transportation Center (ITTC) is a 700 acre Industrial Park located in Shafter with on-site Burlington Northern Santa Fe Main rail services. The site includes an intermodal facility allowing direct rail service to and from the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, Foreign Trade Zone services, and Enterprise Zone benefits. There are 198,000 square feet of space still available.
• Airport Commerce Center is a 113 acre business park located in northern Bakersfield on 7th Standard Road, just minutes from Highway 99. The park is M2 PD zoned for office, industrial and retail use.
• Mt. Vernon Industrial Park will be a 110 acre park in Southeastern Bakersfield, available December of 2007. The Park will deliver to every Buyer a graded and certified pad, helping to speed up the construction process, by allowing buyers to submit their plans and pull their permits far more rapidly than other locations. The M-1 zoned land is in an enterprise zone.
• Rose City Industrial of Wasco is an 1800 acre, rail served industrial park currently in the planning process. The environmental impact report for the park is estimated to be completed by June of 2007. The site sits at the intersection of Highways 46 and 43, just 7 miles from Highway 99.

• Cilion, Inc. plans to construct a 55 million gallon a year ethanol plant in Bakersfield have been approved by the Kern County Planning Commission. The Kern County Board of Supervisors must now consider a zoning change to allow construction.

• Tejon Industrial Complex is comprised of 1,450 acres for commercial development in a Foreign Trade Zone. Tejon recently announced construction on a new 606,000 square foot spec building adjacent to IKEA’s western regional distribution facility.

KINGS COUNTY

• In Hanford, more than a million square feet is available, including an existing facility with four 100 thousand square foot modules at 15¢NNN.
• Strategically positioned between I-5 and Highway 99
• Home of Naval Air Station Lemoore
• High quality industrial parks in its cities with available property
• Home to an Enterprise Zone, Recycling Market Development Zone, Foreign Trade Zone and an SBA HUBZone
• Served by the Burlington Northern & Santa Fe and the San Joaquin Valley Railroads
• Home to the world’s largest Mozzarella cheese company – Leprino Foods
• The Central Valley city of Hanford is getting bigger, planning to annex just over 130 acres of land.
• Most of the property owners in the parcels to be added to the city have signed petitions seeking annexation, the city says.
• Already approved by the planning commission, the Hanford City Council is expected to act on the requests in a forthcoming meeting.
• Among the land to come into the city limits is the satellite campus of the College of the Sequoias.
• West Hills College in Lemoore has recently completed Phase II of their campus expansio

MADERA COUNTY

• Madera County’s industrial base comprises 4 million square feet, with a one and a half percent vacancy rate, but land has been acquired for new industrial developments along Highway 99 with two 72,000 sq. ft. buildings near completion and ready to lease.
• It has been a big year for Build to Suits in this market. Will Gill Industrial Park has 25 acres graded and ready to go. Turn around time is 120 days on a BTS Lease and 6-8 months for larger projects for purchase.
• There are 640 contiguous acres available right off Hwy 152.
• California Tomato Machinery recently finished their new 62,000 sq. ft. facility in 120 days, it was a BTS.
• Quality Container, from LA, built a new 70,000 sq. ft. facility in the same time frame.
• Residential construction is off the charts with builders like DR Horton, Hoffman and Capistrano.
• Three major shopping center proposals are under review for 800,000 sq. ft along the Hwy 99 corridor.
• A Casino resort is planned for a 305 acre site at Ave 17 and Rd 23.
• Pacific Ethanol finished building their manufacturing facility and is running at 100% capacity. Bill Gates was an $84 million investor for the project

MERCED COUNTY

• The Merced market has a total base of approx. 3,500,000 sq. ft. with a 4% vacancy.
• Merced’s market remains extremely tight, but several new speculative building projects have commenced in recent months.
• A new county-wide Enterprise Zone was approved for Merced County in 2006 enabling all businesses to access Zone benefits.
• UC Merced opened in September 2005 welcoming 1000 students and continues to grow by 600-700 students per year.
• Wal-Mart is proceeding with a planned 1 million sq. ft. Distribution Center to employ 900 people to open in 2008.
• Courtyard by Marriott opened a 90 room facility in May 2007 in south Merced; a 60-unit “green” hotel is planned for downtown Merced.
• Travel Centers of America opened a new truck stop and travel services facility in Livingston in March 2007
• Zymex, a food dehydration company commenced construction of a 214,000 sq. ft. facility in the Merced Airport Business Park and will employ 50.
• Mercy Medical Center/CHW is constructing a new 200-bed hospital valued at $200 million.
• Sorting Solutions opened an almond processing and sorting operation in a 50,000 square foot facility in Atwater
• Home Depot and Lowes each opened new stores in Los Banos in the past year
• Los Banos Commerce Centers are constructing 62,000 square feet for business and office lease opening gin summer 2007, with an additional 200,000 square feet planned for 2008.
• Merced County opened a new 40,000 sq. ft. courthouse in downtown Merced in April 2007
• Merced County accepted the transfer of Castle Airport from the US Airforce and has engaged a master developer to accommodate commercial. Industrial and aviation development
• Sanitec, a medical device manufacturer opened a 30,000 sq. ft. distribution center at Castle Airport in 2006 and Big Creek Lumber opened a new building materials store at Castle airport in 2007. 
• Retail sales in Merced County continued to grow through 2005 and reached $2.5 billion, with the City of Merced accounting for $1.2 billion.

SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY:

• An excellent highway transportation system linking San Joaquin County to the major California urban markets with same day delivery service.
• A major California distribution point where two primary north-south highways, Interstate 5 and Highway 99 meet and are joined by the Stockton Crosstown  Freeway (Highway 4) and Highway 120 through Manteca.
• 7,000 acres of available land in 20 business parks
• 3,670 acres of fully improved industrial and over five million square feet in industrial inventory
• A 4.5% vacancy rate
• Eight proposed business parks totaling 4,257 acres
• Served by Burlington Northern Santa Fe and Union Pacific.
• Railroad Intermodal facilities: BNSF has its Regional Intermodal facility east of Stockton and it averages 272,979 container crane transfers annually.  Union Pacific’s Intermodal is located in Lathrop
• Enterprise Zone and Foreign Trade Zone
• Port of Stockton has on-dock rail and rail service to more than seven million square feet of warehousing
• US Gypsum Corporation has announced it will build a multi-million dollar SHEETROCK® brand gypsum panel manufacturing plant at the Port of Stockton

• Kyoho Manufacturing of California has begun construction on a $73 million manufacturing facility in Stockton. The company says it anticipates being operational by January 2008. The new facility will produce auto body parts for New United Motors Manufacturing (NUMMI) in Fremont, CA. 

• There is now a cluster of ten NUMMI suppliers in San Joaquin County
  

STANISLAUS COUNTY

• The final completion and operation start up for Kohls (650,000 feet) and Longs Drugs (850,000 feet) distribution centers in Patterson’s Keystone Business Park began in late 2006
• The Beard Industrial District (2000 acres) continues to develop, market and lease facilities in their new River Bluff Development
• Keystone Business Park has expanded to their original 275 acre development with an additional 125 acres. This is a fully served, shovel ready development
• The City of Turlock is currently moving forward in the planning, zoning and annexation of the Westside Industrial Specific Plan that encompasses 2600 acres. The WISP is also partially in the Stanislaus Enterprise Zone
• Stanislaus County is currently working toward adoption of the final plan for business park/industrial development in Salida. The industrial land would encompass approximately 1000 acres.
• Vintage Faire Mall is now in the planning stages for a major expansion of the mall center adding several new stores to the overall mall.
• Cilion is now in the construction process of a new $60 million facility in Keyes for the production of ethanol
• In early 2007, the State of California through the Hosing and community Development Department approved the expansion of the Stanislaus Enterprise Zone. This expansion includes the cities of Oakdale, Riverbank and Patterson. These cities join Ceres, Modesto and Turlock in the Enterprise Zone.
• Stanislaus County is now working through the negotiation process with a selected developer for the full development of the Crows Landing Naval Air Station. This development would include 800 acres of the NAS as well as approximately 3000 acres of adjoining land focused on industrial development
• The Cities of Oakdale and Turlock recently annexed 400 acres and 675 acres respectfully of industrially zoned land
• The City of Riverbank continues to develop the Crossroads Retail Center with anchors of Home Depot, Kohls and Target.

TULARE COUNTY

• Tulare County’s industrial market includes approximately 23 million square feet with a vacancy rate of less than five percent.
• Spectrum Brands a division of Rayovak recently opened a 500,000 sf distribution facility in Diversified Development Group's industrial park in Visalia.
• VF Outdoor Inc. completed construction on an 800,000 sq.ft. distribution facility in MidState 99 Distribution Center in Visalia employing 300 people.
• California Dairies is moving their corporate headquarters from Los Angeles to Visalia. Company is also expanding their dry milk processing at the 300,000 sf Visalia facility and at the company's Tipton milk processing plant in unincorporated Tulare County.
• MidState 99 Distribution Center, a rail-served master-planned development of The Allen Group continues to expand in Visalia with additional spec buildings currently under construction.
• CTX a manufacturer of roof trusses for Centex Homes has leased 113,000 sq.ft. in Visalia and will employ 150 people.
• Love's Development Companies announced in early 2007 it will open a Love's Travel Center in Tulare benefitting truck drivers and the general traveling public.  The project is on a "fast track" and is expected to be up and running in ten months.  Love's travel centers attract new motels, restaurants and retail businesses.
• Phoenix Bio Industries in Goshen is the first ethanol plan to be sited in California. Facility employs 40 people. Second ethanol plant, Calgren Renewable Fuels is under construction in Pixley.
• Garuda International, a natural nutritional food supplement manufacturer selected Exeter as the site for their operations.  The company will be constructing the new 40,000 sf building to meet the requirements of a "Gold Level Certification", one of only 20 buildings in California with that designation.  The project will be LEED certified. The company will employ 40 people.
• KemperSports selected to develop an 18-hole golf course in city of Dinuba.  John Fought Design is handling the design. Plans call for three neighborhoods on 400 homesites, including town houses, patio homes, single-family, large-lot and resort cottages.
• Horizon Outlet Mall in Tulare has completed it 3rd phase of expansion in 2006 and is looking at the 4th phase now.
• Home Depot and Lowes opened stores in Tulare in 2006. Target Stores slated to begin construction of new store in Tulare in 2007.  Home Depot under construction of second store in Visalia.
• Costco expanding their Visalia store to the new Packwood Creek development in Visalia.
• Tulare District Hospital and Sierra View Hospital in Porterville have announced major expansion plans of their hospitals. Will include professional and medical offices as well as patient services.