Agenda Item Wording:
title
Public Hearing to consider land use changes - land use changes to the properties owned by the Tulare County Office of Education and located at 11720 and 11836 Ave 264 and 6200 South Mooney Boulevard (APNs: 122-470-003, 122-480-004, 122-480-008, and 122-480-018):
1. Adoption of Initial Study / Mitigated Negative Declaration prepare by Tulare County Office of Education consistent with the California Environmental Quality Act (Resolution No. 2026-21).
2. General Plan Amendment No. 2025-05: A request by Tulare County Office of Education (TCOE) to expand the Urban Development Boundary for 24.32 acres east of their current administrative offices located at 6200 South Mooney Boulevard and to change the land use designations on APN: 122-480-004 from Commercial Mixed Use to Public/Institutional and APNs: 122-470-003, 122-480-008 and -018 from Agriculture to Public/Institutional (Resolution No. 2026-19).
3. Introduction and First Reading of Ordinance No. 2026-01 for Prezone and Change of Zone No. 2025-06: A request by TCOE to change the zoning designation on APN: 122-480-004 from C-MU (Mixed-Use Commercial) to QP (Quasi-Public) and to prezone APNs: 122-470-003, 122-480-008 and -018 to QP (Quasi-Public) (Ordinance No. 2026-01, required).
4. Initiation of Proceedings for Annexation No. 2025-03: A request by TCOE to initiate annexation of APNs: 122-470-003, 122-480-008, and 122-480-018 into the city limits of Visalia (Resolution No. 2026-20).
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Agenda Date: 04/06/2026
Prepared by:
Josh Dan, Senior Planner, (559)713-4003, josh.dan@visalia.city
Paul Bernal, Planning and Community Preservation Director, (559) 713-4025, paul.bernal@visalia.city
Department Recommendation:
The Planning Commission recommends that the City Council take the following actions, consistent with the staff recommendation made to Planning Commission on March 23, 2026:
A. Adoption of Initial Study / Mitigated Negative Declaration prepared by TCOE consistent with the California Environmental Quality Act (Resolution No. 2026-21).
B. Adopt Resolution No. 2026-19, approving General Plan Amendment No. 2025-05 which does the following:
i. Expand the Urban Development Growth Boundary (UDB) to include the 24.32-acre parcel (APN: 122-470-003) east of the current TCOE facility at 6200 South Mooney Boulevard; and
ii. Establish a land use designation for the 24.32-acre parcel (APN: 122-470-003) which is located outside the City’s UDB from Agriculture to Public/Institutional and re-designate their current campus at 6200 South Mooney Boulevard (APN: 122-480-004 from Commercial Mixed Use to Public/Institutional.
C. Introduce the first reading of Ordinance No. 2026-01 for approval of Prezone and Change of Zone No. 2025-06, which does the following:
i. The proposal seeks to prezone unincorporated territory to confirm the zone designation of QP which is consistent with the land use designations of Public/Institutional for APNs: 122-470-003, 122-480-008, and 122-480-018 that will apply to that territory upon annexation to the city; and
ii. Change of Zone will change the existing zoning for the TCOE site (APN: 122-480-004) from C-MU (Commercial Mixed Use) to QP (Quasi-Public), which is also consistent with the General Plan Amendment No. 2025-05.
D. Adopt Resolution No. 2026-20, initiating proceedings for Annexation No. 2025-03 which will complete the following:
i. Initiation of Proceedings for Annexation No. 2025-03 a request by TCOE to annex a total of 37.5-acres parcel into the City Limits of Visalia; and
ii. Authorize the detachment from County Service Area No. 1 in accordance with State and County requirements; and
iii. Authorize the City Manager to sign and enter into a Pre-Annexation Agreement (Resolution No. 2026-20 required).
It is standard practice for staff to recommend the upholding of a Planning Commission action. Furthermore, if approved by the City Council, staff will file the Annexation application with LAFCO.
The recommendation to land use and zoning designations will facilitate the Tulare County Office of Education proposed campus expansion with additional facilities to its existing administrative office and conference center located at 6200 South Mooney Boulevard. TCOE has acquired portions of adjacent properties which will be merged with the existing site, expanding their overall campus site by approximately 12.54 acres.
Summary:
This proposal aids in consolidation and centralization of existing TCOE offices, which are located at 7000 West Doe Avenue and other sites, while hosting professional development training courses and workshops for district employees. If all entitlements are approved, the contiguous sites will be developed in a manner to provide internal access via drive aisles, along with other onsite improvements including curbing, drainage, and utility infrastructure, see Exhibit “A”. In addition, the expansion will also have an additional vehicular access point from Avenue 264 / Liberty Avenue (see Site Plan in Exhibit “A”).
The existing TCOE facility located at 6200 South Mooney Boulevard, was completed in 2016. The existing 11-acre campus includes administration offices and a conference center. The existing building is 91,596 square feet consisting of a three-story professional office building and a single-story conference center. The site design included three landscaped ponding areas for stormwater retention and a greenbelt along the northern property line. On the east side of the property, 2.5 acres were reserved for future expansion. Parking provided onsite totals 379 stalls used by employees and visitors. The only existing vehicular ingress and egress onto the site is provided via South Mooney Boulevard. In addition to administrative offices and support to TCOE schools and facilities, the existing campus is also used to host conferences, educational training, and up to three large-scale conferences per year.
The proposed campus expansion is expected to provide five (5) additional buildings providing space for offices, classrooms, and conference meeting space. Each building, square footage, and proposed use are listed in Table 1-1 below and are depicted in Exhibit “A”.
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Table 1: Existing and Proposed TCOE Buildings |
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BLDG No. |
Square Feet |
Stories |
Purpose / Use |
|
100 (existing) |
91,569 |
3 |
Existing admin and conf. center |
|
200 (proposed) |
50,985 |
1 |
Offices |
|
300 (proposed) |
50,985 |
1 |
Offices |
|
400 (proposed) |
6,227 |
1 |
Three classrooms and training kitchen |
|
500 (proposed) |
6,227 |
1 |
Conference / Board Room |
|
600 (proposed) |
35,264 |
1 |
Warehouse |
To assist in the overall development of the TCOE campus expansion, TCOE will be purchasing two adjacent sites to provide land area for these onsite improvements. A proposed stormwater ponding basin will be constructed along the southern boundary of the property for on-site drainage. New parking facilities surrounding the development will provide an additional 388 parking stalls, including 17 accessible spaces. Between the existing and proposed parking stalls, 767 stalls will be provided onsite.
To facilitate this request, in addition to the entitlements listed above (i.e., General Plan Amendment, Prezone and Change of Zone, and Annexation) the following Conditional Use Permit (CUP) entitlement was also required. CUP No. 2025-28, approved by the Planning Commission on March 23, 2026, was required due to schools being listed as a conditionally permitted use in the Quasi-Public zone. Staff supports TCOE’s campus expansion as the project complies with General Plan land use policies as stated in the General Plan analysis section below.
Of the entitlements required, only Conditional Use Permit No. 2025-28 was in the Planning Commission’s purview. The use permit was a requirement for the proposed classrooms on site to accompany the office spaces, storage building, and board / conference room.
The applicant has detailed in the operational statement and verbally that the use of the site is intended for the consolidation of their existing facilities to this one location. The facility is intended for use by TCOE employees and teachers; however, the TCOE board / conference room is subject to the Civic Center Act which requires that their facilities be made available to the public via the TCOE Board approved fees schedule. The applicant has further identified that TCOE meetings and events will have priority whereas others will have to schedule around TCOE’s established meeting and event dates.
Planning Commission Public Hearing:
The Planning Commission conducted a hearing on March 23, 2026, to consider the general plan amendment, prezone and change of zone, annexation, and conditional use permit for the TCOE project. The only public comment received was from Jeff Ramsey, Director of General Services with TCOE. The Planning Commission was unanimous in their approval of the conditional use permit based on the findings in the staff report and resolution, and unanimous in their recommendation of approval to the City Council for the general plan amendment, prezone and change of zone, and annexation.
General Plan Land Use and Zoning Compatibility:
The General Plan describes that the Public/Institutional land use classification applies to lands owned by public entities, including City Hall and other City buildings, County buildings, schools, the Municipal Airport, and hospitals. Specifically, Land Use Policy LU-P-108 supports the designation of land for Public/Institutional uses including city, county, and other government buildings as well as schools. Additionally, the General Plan’s Parks, Schools, Community Facilities, and Utilities Element details in several policies the promotion of educational alternatives, like charter schools, per the following policies:
PSCU-P-34: Coordinate land use and development with school location and site design, working with the Visalia Unified School District and other districts to ensure that adequate facilities are available and integrated with neighborhoods.
PSCU-P-39: Promote the location and development of vocational and trade schools and alternative and continuing education programs such as Visalia Charter Independent Study.
PSCU-P-44: Support efforts to involve youth in leadership and job training programs.
Permitting the expansion of the TCOE campus meets General Plan Objective LU-O-13 by minimizing urban sprawl and leap-frog development by supporting the expansion of the TCOE campus which is within the Visalia planning area, thereby promoting orderly growth instead of fragmented development. In addition, supporting the expansion of the TCOE campus will help preserve educational diversity in Visalia’s economic base which may help increase the stability of jobs and support economic competitiveness by aligning education with local needs. Expansion of the existing facility for the proposed uses would be in keeping with the City of Visalia’s goals and polices of supporting educational growth opportunities while coordinating with school districts to offer alternative education facilities, which in turn, deliver long-term community benefits by expanding critical public-serving educational institutions.
Parking:
The proposed expansion entails uses for office, board/conference rooms, classrooms, and storage/warehousing. Pursuant to the Visalia Municipal Code Chapter 17.34, off street parking and loading facilities, the following parking criteria is applied for the uses:
1. Offices - Section 17.34.020.F.4: Offices, including all public and professional offices, except as otherwise specified: one parking space for each two hundred fifty (250) square feet of building area, with a minimum of four parking spaces.
2. Classrooms - Section 17.34.020.C.3: High schools, one parking space for each employee plus seven parking spaces for each classroom.
3. Warehousing - Section 17.34.020.F.17: Storage and warehouses: one parking space for each one thousand (1,000) square feet of building area.
Staff has provided Table 1-2 (below) to provide analysis of the parking requirements for each building:
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Table 1-2: Parking |
|
BLDG No. |
Floor area |
VMC Ratio |
Required |
|
200 |
50,985 |
1:250 sq. ft. (Offices) |
204 |
|
300 |
50,985 |
1:250 sq. ft. (Offices) |
204 |
|
400 |
6,227 |
1 per employee & 7 per Classroom (3 classrooms) |
24 |
|
500 |
6,227 |
1 per 4 seats (100 seats) |
25 |
|
600 |
35,264 |
1:1,000 sq. ft. (warehouses) |
35 |
Considering the parking ratios and floor areas provided, 492 parking stalls would be required for the additional buildings based on the parking ratios as prescribed in the Zoning Ordinance. The existing facility’s 379 parking stalls, in addition to the 388 stalls proposed, provides a total of 767 stalls across the entire TCOE campus.
Staff would note that the existing TCOE building was not developed through the City’s permitting process and therefore parking ratios for the site were established based on their needs and not the city’s parking ratios. However, the total number of parking stalls provided is justified due to the operational characteristics of the TCOE campus. Specifically, not all buildings are intended to be occupied simultaneously or at full capacity throughout the day. The campus will function with staggard schedules, varying program hours, and intermittent use of certain facilities. Based on the operational needs for the TCOE site, staff concludes the parking provided adequately serves the project site without resulting in adverse “spillover” parking impacts to the surrounding area.
Access, Connectivity, and Circulation:
Mooney Boulevard (State Route 63) is state highway that has full improvements across the existing facility’s frontage. The secondary vehicular access point at Avenue 264 is needed to facilitate adequate fire access and to provide a secondary point of ingress/egress for the TCOE campus. The Engineering Division has identified that full improvements to Avenue 264 will not be warranted at this time; however, should additional development be considered for the undeveloped portion of the site, additional street improvements will be required. The extent of these improvements would include sidewalks, curb, gutter, park strip landscaping, city streetlights, etc., to City standards. It should be noted that there is also a gated access point set off the roadway (Avenue 264), which serves as the secondary point of access to the site.
The existing facility and proposed expansion will be connected via interior drive aisles which are expected to integrate into the overall layout. Some demolition of existing improvements like solar canopies and stormwater gutters will need to occur and be reconfigured, however, there is no concern from staff regarding the cohesion of the two phases.
Landscaping, Lighting, and Fencing:
The existing facility is fully landscaped along its Mooney Boulevard frontage and has a “greenbelt” of landscaping around its perimeter. The proposed expansion will mirror a similar landscaping design. Furthermore, the existing Mooney Boulevard frontage has black wrought iron fencing and access gates, whereas the remainder of the perimeter is predominantly fenced with chain-link fencing. Exhibit “A” shows that similar styled gates and fencing are expected around the perimeter expansion and secondary access point. The proposed seven-foot-tall decorative metal fence is consistent with the fence height and placement requirements established in municipal code Chapter 17.36 Fences, Walls and Hedges for similar uses.
Environmental Review:
The proposed project was previously evaluated pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) by TCOE which acted as the Lead Agency for the project. TCOE prepared an Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) for the project and, following a 30-day circulation of the document for public review, TCOE adopted the Mitigated Negative Declaration and approved moving forward with the project finding that, with implementation of identified mitigation measures, the project would not result in significant environmental impacts.
The City, acting as a Responsible Agency for purposes of CEQA, is required to consider the environmental effects of the project as shown in the environmental document prepared by TCOE before acting on the project. The City is required to impose feasible mitigation measures within its jurisdiction.
TCOE consulted with City staff on the preparation of the Initial Study and MND. The City has independently reviewed and considered the Initial Study and MND, together with the administrative record associated with the Lead Agency’s approval of the project, and finds that the environmental document adequately evaluates the environmental impacts of the project.
Table 3-19 of the IS/MND produced by TCOE identifies the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program for the project. The table recognizes measures intended for:
• One (1) Agricultural Resources related to impacts to Prime Farmland.
• Three (3) Biological Resources related to protecting nesting Swainsons hawks, roosting pallid bat and western mastiff bat, obtaining a permit from the SWRCB for impacts to jurisdictional waters, protecting nesting birds;
• Two (2) Cultural Resources related to whether any accidental discovery of unidentified archaeological remains or human remains during development or ground-moving activities in the project boundary.
Fiscal Impact including annual maintenance and operating costs: None.
Prior Council Action: None.
Other:
The Planning Commission held a public hearing on March 23, 2026, to consider the general plan amendment, prezone and change of zone, annexation, and conditional use permit for the TCOE project site. The Planning Commission approved the conditional use permit, based on the findings in the staff report, and recommended approval to the City Council the general plan amendment, prezone and change of zone, and annexation request. The vote for all four entitlements was 4-0 with Vice Chair Davis recused.
Alternatives:
The City Council may, in lieu of the recommended motion specified above, consider any of the following alternatives:
1. Deny the General Plan Amendment, Prezone and Change of Zone, and Annexation; or
2. Refer the matter back to Planning Commission; or,
3. Continue the matter to a future City Council hearing.
Recommended Motion (and Alternative Motions if expected):
recommendation
1. I move to approve Resolution No. 2026-21, adopting Initial Study / Mitigated Negative Declaration.
2. I move to approve Resolution No. 2026-19, approving General Plan Amendment No. 2025-05.
3. I move to introduce for the first reading of Ordinance No. 2026-01, approving Prezone and Change of Zone No. 2025-06.
4. I move to approve Resolution No. 2026-20, to initiate proceedings for Annexation No. 2025-03, authorizing the detachment of property from County Service Area No. 1, and authorize the City Manager to enter into a Pre-Annexation Agreement between the City of Visalia and the property owners.
Environmental Assessment Status:
TCOE prepared an Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) for the project and, following circulation of the document for public review, TCOE Board adopted the Mitigated Negative Declaration and approved moving forward with the project finding that, with implementation of identified mitigation measures, the project would not result in significant environmental impacts. TCOE consulted with City staff on the preparation of the Initial Study and MND. The City has independently reviewed and considered the Initial Study and MND, together with the administrative record associated with the Lead Agency’s approval of the project and finds that the environmental document adequately evaluates the environmental impacts of the project. Therefore, staff recommends the Mitigated Negative Declaration be adopted for this project.
CEQA Review:
The proposed project was previously evaluated pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) by TCOE which acted as the Lead Agency for the project. TCOE prepared an Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) for the project and, following a 30-day circulation of the document for public review, TCOE adopted the Mitigated Negative Declaration and approved moving forward with the project finding that, with implementation of identified mitigation measures, the project would not result in significant environmental impacts.
The City, acting as a Responsible Agency for purposes of CEQA, is required to consider the environmental effects of the project as shown in the environmental document prepared by TCOE before acting on the project. The City is required to impose feasible mitigation measures within its jurisdiction.
TCOE consulted with City staff on the preparation of the Initial Study and MND. The City has independently reviewed and considered the Initial Study and MND, together with the administrative record associated with the Lead Agency’s approval of the project, and finds that the environmental document adequately evaluates the environmental impacts of the project.
Table 3-19 of the IS/MND produced by TCOE identifies the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program for the project. The table recognizes measures intended for:
• One (1) Agricultural Resources related to impacts to Prime Farmland.
• Three (3) Biological Resources related to protecting nesting Swainsons hawks, roosting pallid bat and western mastiff bat, obtaining a permit from the SWRCB for impacts to jurisdictional waters, protecting nesting birds;
Two (2) Cultural Resources related to whether any accidental discovery of unidentified archaeological remains or human remains during development or ground-moving activities in the project boundary.
Deadline for Action: 04/06/2026
Attachments:
1. City Council Resolution No. 2026-21 - Initial Study / Mitigated Declaration
2. City Council Resolution No. 2026-19 - General Plan Amendment No. 2025-05
3. City Council Ordinance No. 2026-01 - Prezone and Change of Zone No. 2025-06
4. City Council Resolution No. 2026-20 - Annexation No. 2025-03
5. Planning Commission Staff Report - March 23, 2026
6. Exhibit “A” - Site Plan(s)
7. City Council PowerPoint Presentation
Strategic Goal: Indicates which City Strategic Goal(s) this item supports. Check all that apply.
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☒ Economic Vitality |
☐  Organizational Excellence |
☐ Fiscal Strength |
☒  Infrastructure & Growth |
☒  Quality of Life |