Agenda Item Wording:
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Public Hearing and Ordinance Adoption -
General Plan Amendment No. 2025-02: A request by the City of Visalia to change the land use designation on a 16-acre portion of a 21-acre parcel from Parks/Recreation to Commercial Mixed Use.
First Reading of Ordinance to adopt Change of Zone No. 2025-03: A request by the City of Visalia to change the zoning designation on a 16-acre portion of a 21-acre parcel from QP (Quasi-Public) to C-MU (Commercial Mixed Use).
Location: The site is located on the northwest corner of Akers Street and Riggin Avenue, within the City of Visalia, County of Tulare (APN: 077-100-103).
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Prepared by:
Brandon Smith, Principal Planner, brandon.smith@visalia.city, (559) 713-4636;
Paul Bernal, Planning and Community Preservation Director, paul.bernal@visalia.city, (559) 713- 4025
Department Recommendation:
The Planning Commission recommends that the City Council take the following actions, consistent with the staff recommendation made to Planning Commission on August 11, 2025:
1) Adopt Initial Study / Negative Declaration No. 2025-28 (Resolution No. 2025-66 required).
2) Approve General Plan Amendment No. 2025-02 (Resolution No. 2025-65 required).
3) Conduct the first reading of Ordinance No. 2025-09 to adopt Change of Zone No. 2025-03.
If approved by the City Council, staff will bring back the second reading of the Ordinance at a later City Council meeting.
The entitlements are supported by both the Planning Commission and staff based on the project's consistency with the General Plan and Zoning Ordinance. In addition, the entitlements are consistent with the recommendation of the City Council during the work session item held on August 19, 2024, which was to change 16 acres out of the 21-acre parcel toward Commercial Mixed Use and retain 5 acres on the northwest portion of the parcel for the existing Parks/Recreation designation.
Summary:
General Plan Amendment No. 2025-02 and Change of Zone No. 2025-03 together are a request by the City of Visalia to change the general plan land use and zoning designations of 16 acres from Parks/Recreation land use (QP zone) to Commercial Mixed Use (C-MU zone), as shown in the attached General Plan and Zoning maps, and in the aerial map in Attachment 1. The 16 acres are part of an overall 21-acre undeveloped parcel located on the northwest corner of North Akers Street and West Riggin Avenue.
The reclassification of land use and zoning designations is based upon the recommendation of the City Council upon the conclusion of three work session discussions held on January 16, 2020, June 7, 2021, and August 19, 2024. The site has always held the general plan land use and zoning designation of Parks/Recreation / QP zone since the property's annexation in 2010.
Visalia Unified School District sold the site to the City of Visalia in 2014 and has retained property to the north for development of a middle school and future high school. Visalia's General Plan, adopted in 2014, illustrates this site in a Parks/Facilities Map as a potential location for a new community park serving the northwest quadrant. General Plan Policy PSCU-P-5 more explicitly calls for the creation of a new community park to be built in and to serve the northwest quadrant.
The proposed project only changes the land use and zoning designations associated with the parcel. No development is being proposed or is planned in correlation with the project at this time. The City Council's direction to staff from the work session meeting was to also prepare and release a Request for Proposal (RFP) to solicit potential land developers to submit design proposals for this site, and to hold a future meeting to discuss design stipulations and use limitations on the site. These latter actions will be forthcoming.
Background:
Over the course of the three work sessions held to discuss land uses on the site, City staff suggested that the City-owned property at Akers & Riggin may be better suited for a land use other than Parks/Recreation given its location at a major intersection, with speculation towards a commercial designation. Under the proposed GPA/COZ, a community park could still be developed on the remaining 5-acre portion of the site, or be developed on a different site in the northwest quadrant. Staff presented viable non-residential land use alternatives to the Council at the work sessions. Between the times that the four work sessions were held, the Carleton Acres Specific Plan was drafted and adopted in 2023, solidifying a new commercial land use designation further to the west.
Based upon the work session held on August 19, 2024, the City Council recommended a 4-1 vote (Poochigian, no) in favor of changing the designation to 16 acres out of the 21-acre parcel toward Commercial Mixed Use, and retaining 5 acres on the northwest portion of the parcels for potential park use.
Surrounding Uses:
To the north, on the north side of the Sedona Avenue alignment, a 103-acre parcel owned by Visalia Unified School District (VUSD) contains Ridgeview Middle School and land for a future high school campus.
To the west of the city-owned site is a 29-acre parcel that is owned by a private entity and is zoned for high-density multi-family residential use. This parcel has been incorporated into the Carleton Acres Specific Plan. On May 29, 2025, a Conditional Use Permit application was filed with the City for a 442-unit development on this site, at a density of 15 units / acre consistent with R-M-3 zone standards; however, the application is incomplete at this time.
The surrounding area beyond the VUSD parcel is currently seeing a steady amount of growth and interest in future development planning. To the east, the 219-unit Ritchie Reserve Apartments are nearing completion, and two small-lot single family residential subdivisions have been proposed to the City, one of which has applied for a tentative subdivision map (i.e. Ritchie Ranch). To the west and northwest, the Carleton Acres Specific Plan was approved in 2023 for the long-term buildout of approximately 3,200 dwelling units and 29 acres of commercial uses anchored by Costco Wholesale at the corner of Shirk & Riggin and a future neighborhood commercial designation at the southwest corner of Akers Street & Avenue 320 (see attachment: Figure 1 and Figure 2).
General Plan Consistency - Community Park Designation:
General Plan Policy PSCU-P-5 calls for the creation of a new community park to be built in and to serve the northwest quadrant. The policy generally states that the park shall be in the northwest, and the facility map shown as Figure 5-1 identifies the 21-acre site as the potential location of the community park (see attachment: Figure 3).
Policy PSCU-P-5 further states that community parks shall be 5 to 12 acres in size or more, and are intended to include resources beyond those found at neighborhood parks, such as a community center building, reserved picnic facilities, tennis courts, aquatic center, and/or outdoor concert area.
A community park would fill a void that currently exists for this type of facility that would be comparable to Recreation Park / Anthony Community Center or Whitendale Park / Community Center. The General Plan notes that the northwest quadrant currently lacks a community center building, and Policy PSCU-P-16 calls to provide at least one community center in each of the City's four neighborhood quadrants.
The community park would be different from Riverway Sports Park, located 2.5 miles to the east. The 83-acre Riverway Sports Park is considered a "large city park" that serves the greater Visalia area and contains several playing fields; however, it contains no community center or multi-use courts. The community park would also be larger in scale than neighborhood parks found throughout the City - the closest being Lions and Soroptimist Parks located one mile southwest or southeast from the site.
The current size of the project site, at 21 acres, is significantly larger than the policy guideline of "5 to 12 acres or more" for community parks. The proposed GPA / COZ would reduce the size of the Parks designation to 5 acres, which would remain within the size range of a community park.
Within the City's northwest quadrant, there are two other undeveloped Park land use designations that could facilitate a community park. These sites are 15 acres near the northeast corner of Demaree Street & Pratt Avenue and 10 acres fronting the future Riverway Avenue extension north of Modoc Basin. Both sites are visible in Figure 3 above. Both designated sites could facilitate the northwest quadrant's community park based on their acreage. There is a potential opportunity for the City to purchase the Demaree & Pratt land based on early preliminary discussions with a property owner in that area seeking to develop their property that has a park land use designation of equivalent acreage. There have been no discussions regarding the 10 acres of park designated land fronting the future Riverway Avenue extension north of Modoc Basin.
It should be noted that the conceptual use plan for Carleton Acres does plan for parks to be scattered throughout the development, but none being classified as neighborhood or community parks over two acres in size. This is intentional since the General Plan did not designate any land use designations for parks on the Carleton Acres site. The Parks and Recreation Department does not anticipate purchasing any land in the Carleton Acres neighborhood bound by Shirk, Akers, and Avenue 320.
Attachment 2 illustrates non-residential land use designations in the surrounding vicinity.
General Plan Consistency - Land Use Element/General Plan/Zoning:
Land Use Policy LU-P-66 states that the Commercial Mixed Use land use designation allows for either horizontal or vertical mixed use development and a range of commercial, service, office, and residential uses. Commercial uses must be allowed for in a development, while residential uses may or may not be part of a development. The Zoning Ordinance further states, in Section 17.19.010, that the mixed use commercial zone district may permit development at both at key activity nodes and along corridors. There is no further locational criteria regarding Commercial Mixed Use elsewhere in the City.
Among Visalia's commercial designations (i.e. Regional Commercial, Neighborhood Commercial), Commercial Mixed Use zone provides the largest amount of flexibility for a commercial-oriented designation in terms of uses, size, and placement. The northwest area is not significantly underserved with retail uses at this time; however, the nearest existing shopping areas from the intersection are located at Demaree / Riggin (The Village at Willow Creeks) and Akers / Goshen (Key West Shopping Center), both of which are one mile away.
The project site has the potential to be served by multiple single-family and multi-family residential uses and major school facilities that are all adjacent to the site and would be accessed from the adjacent arterial/arterial intersection. Vacant land to the west is slated for the inclusion of an off-street bike/pedestrian trail linking the City site to the rest of the Carleton Acres development.
A larger Commercial Mixed Use designation (10+ acres) can facilitate a shopping center anchored by a supermarket, warehouse supermarket, or home improvement store and supported by additional retail and food establishments. The nearest such development is located at Demaree / Riggin (Lowes), one mile to the east.
The C-MU designation provides for the widest range of possible non-residential land use alternatives: commercial, retail, restaurant, professional and medical office uses, or residential as a stand-alone or mixed use. A full summary of all allowed land uses (permitted and conditionally permitted) in the C-MU zone is provided in Attachment 3.
Potential Design Considerations and Future Request for Proposal (RFP) Process:
If the City Council approves the proposed GPA / COZ, staff intends to prepare and circulate a Request for Proposal to solicit potential land developers to submit design proposals for this site that demonstrate the Council's desire to have a superior development design and layout for this site. The RFP process would spell out expectations of the development to embody a well-designed and attractive development with a high likelihood of success that will be compatible with and serve the school population as well as the surrounding community. The RFP would address the developer's responsibility to process the necessary Planning entitlement applications (if applicable) and CEQA environmental analysis for the alternative land use.
Staff's expectation is that a future City Council work session will be held to discuss the potential design requirements and land use limitations or stipulations that would apply to the site to ensure a superior development that aligns with Council's vision. This work session would be necessary to finalize the RFP's scope and content prior to its release. Upon successful completion of the RFP process, staff could then present the submittals to Council for their selection on the best design proposal submittal.
Public Hearing & Review held by Planning Commission:
The Planning Commission conducted a public hearing on August 11, 2025, to consider General Plan Amendment No. 2025-02 and Change of Zone No. 2025-03. The affiliated staff report is provided as Attachment 5.
During the public hearing, one member from the public shared concern that perhaps the request would result in too much reduction of public park acreage. Concerns were also shared that the resulting 5 acres of Parks designation would leave no or too little room for on-site parking, or would result in a reduced size of the park after inclusion of the parking area.
In the discussion among Commissioners, Commissioner Tavarez noted that the reduction of parks/recreation land makes sense as is and would not have a significant impact on facilities in the area, and pointed to the current availability and usage of park facilities on the Neighborhood Church property to the south and Ridgeview Middle School to the north.
Commissioner Norman expressed concerns regarding the overall loss of acreage associated with the parks while having a sufficient supply of commercial land in the northwest quadrant. With the understanding that an RFP would be released later in 2025 for the preparation of a Park Facilities Master Plan, Commissioner Norman further expressed that the action was premature until such master plan would be completed. Commissioner Beattie noted that there was no feedback from the Parks Department on what could be done with 5 acres, or if suitable amenities together with parking could be provided on the 5 acres.
Planning Commissioners made a motion for each individual entitlement, and each item passed on a 3-2 vote, with Commissioners Beattie and Norman voting no on both requests.
Fiscal Impact: The General Plan Amendment and Change of Zone actions will have no impact to the city. Regarding the sale of the site, since the City purchased the site using Park Impact Fees, any portion of land that will be sold for non-park use will require payment back to the Park Impact fee program.
Prior Council Action:
* On January 16, 2020, at a Joint City Council-Planning Commission meeting, in the context of land use planning around VUSD's future high school site, the Council directed staff to proceed with a recommended motion to research and present back for Council consideration of potential land use and zoning designations to the 21-acre parcel.
* On June 7, 2021, the City Council met to discuss and seek direction on potential changes to the zoning and General plan designation on the subject site. Council favored the Commercial Mixed Use zone as a preferred land use / zone district alternative, but tabled taking any action on the item so that staff could prepare a list of allowed uses in the Commercial Mixed Use (C-MU) zone and to consider park opportunities in the Carleton Acres Specific Plan area, which would be later adopted in 2023.
* On August 19, 2024, the City Council confirmed the type and amount of the alternative land use and zoning for the subject site, and further directed staff to prepare and release a RFP for the solicitation of design proposals for the site. Council further directed staff to return to discuss the specific design, land uses, and limitations on the property.
Alternatives:
The City Council may, in lieu of the recommended motion specified above, consider any of the following alternatives:
1. After opening and closing the public hearing, if the Council seeks additional information, continue the agenda item to a City Council meeting on a specified date.
2. Approve the item with a different amount of Commercial Mixed Use land use and zoning designation acreage, as directed by Council.
3. If Council is considering a different amount of Commercial Mixed Use land use and zoning designation acreage, refer the item with revisions back to the Planning Commission.
4. Deny the entitlements.
Recommended Motion (and Alternative Motions if expected):
recommendation
I move to approve Resolution No. 2025-65, to approve General Plan Amendment No. 2025-02; and,
I move to conduct the First reading of the approval of Ordinance No. 2025-09 to adopt Change of Zone No. 2025-03.
Environmental Assessment Status & CEQA Review:
An Initial Study and Negative Declaration were prepared for the proposed project. This environmental review was prepared for the proposed General Plan Amendment and Change of Zone only and does not consider any environmental impacts regarding any future development, as such development would also be subject to separate environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) once details of the development are known.
Initial Study and Negative Declaration No. 2025-28 (see Attachment 6), prepared in accordance with CEQA Guidelines, disclosed that environmental impacts are determined to be not significant. Staff concludes that Initial Study and Negative Declaration No. 2025-28 adequately analyzes and addresses the proposed project and concludes that environmental impacts related to this project will be at a level that is less than significant.
During the public comment period for the Negative Declaration, one comment letter was received by the State Department of Toxic Substances Control (see Attachment 4). The letter recommends that in instances where land is proposed to be rezoned to residential use, that the lead agency shall identify certain pesticide materials as described in the letter, which would determine if any remedial action is needed to bring levels below thresholds. Since no activity is proposed on the site and since no residential uses are being considered, no mitigation is necessary in response to the letter.
Attachments:
1. Staff Report References - Figure 1, 2, 3
2. Resolution No. 2025-66 - Adopting Initial Study / Negative Declaration No. 2025-28
3. Resolution No. 2025-65 - Adopting General Plan Amendment No. 2025-02
4. Ordinance No. 2025-09 - Adopting Change of Zone No. 2025-03
5. Attachment 1 - Aerial Photo of Subject Site
6. Attachment 2 - Non-Residential Land Use Map
7. Attachment 3 - Uses Allowed in the C-MU Zone
8. Attachment 4 - Correspondence from State Department of Toxic Substances Control
9. Attachment 5 - Planning Commission Staff Report from August 11, 2025
10. Attachment 6 - Initial Study / Negative Declaration No. 2025-28
11. General Plan, Land Use, Zoning, and Location Maps