Agenda Item Wording:
title
Reserve Area Planning work session - Receive an update and provide direction regarding the Planning Commission’s and staff recommended land use plan, circulation plan, development tier boundaries, and scope of design standards for the proposed Industrial Specific Plan area.
body
Agenda Date: 10/19/2026
Prepared by:
Jarred Olsen, AICP, Principal Planner, jarred.olsen@visalia.gov <mailto:jarred.olsen@visalia.gov>, (559) 713-4449
Paul Bernal, Planning and Community Preservation Director, paul.bernal@visalia.gov <mailto:paul.bernal@visalia.gov>, (559) 713-4025
Department Recommendation: Receive the staff report and presentation and direct staff to:
(1) Proceed with the preferred land use plan as identified per attachment A to be evaluated through the environmental review process and further plan preparation;
(2) Proceed with the preferred circulation plan as identified per attachment B;
(3) Establish the preferred development tier boundaries as identified per attachment C;
(4) Prepare Specific Plan design standards using the areawide approach;
(5) Develop a traditional industrial architectural standard containing objective requirements and several schematic design variations.
Summary:
Staff and the City’s consultant, QK Inc., have prepared recommended land use, circulation, and development tier plans for the Reserve Area, together with preliminary concepts for design standards within the proposed Specific Plan area. The purpose of this work session is to obtain Council direction before staff advances environmental review and prepares the draft General Plan amendments and Specific Plan.
Council’s direction will identify the concepts staff should use as the preferred planning framework. Council direction will not approve any General Plan amendment, Specific Plan, tier boundary, development project, or Airport Land Use Commission override. Those actions will return for consideration following environmental review, public review, and applicable agency consultation.
Please note on October 12, 2026, the Planning Commission reviewed staff’s recommendations and made the following recommendations to City Council:
1. Use attachment A as the preferred land use plan for environmental review and further plan preparation;
2. Use attachment B as the preferred circulation plan for environmental review and further plan preparation;
3. Use attachment C as the preferred development tier plan for further infrastructure and land use planning;
4. Prepare Specific Plan design standards using the areawide approach; and
5. Develop a traditional industrial architectural standard containing objective requirements and several schematic design variations.
Background Discussion:
LAND USE DESIGNATIONS
The Reserve Area’s proximity to the Visalia Municipal Airport presents significant land use constraints. The land use plan must also account for existing and planned residential development to the east, north, and south. Within those constraints, the proposed plan responds to prior Council direction to emphasize industrial and employment-generating uses.
Staff sought and received input from several property owners, developers, members of the real estate community, and other stakeholders. Attachment A depicts staff’s recommended land use plan. The following discussion summarizes the proposed approach for each study area.
• Area A - This is in the industrial specific plan area. For this area, staff proposes land uses that create jobs and produce, distribute goods and provide ancillary workforce-supporting services and uses. These ancillary services would be sized to accommodate the workforce, and not to compete with the regional nature of Sequoia Gateway Business Park. This area is heavily influenced by airport land use restrictions, and thus, is proposed to consist primarily of industrial/service commercial uses while remaining subject to Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan (ALUCP) intensity, height, wildlife hazard, and avigation easement requirements.
• Area B - Because this area is less affected by airport safety zone restrictions, staff has greater flexibility in assigning land uses. Staff proposes continuing the residential designations from the north and transitioning to higher-intensity residential and commercial mixed-use development along the Caldwell Avenue corridor. A conceptual park is also shown. Its location and size are schematic and subject to change, but its acreage is intended to accommodate projected demand at a ratio of five acres per 1,000 residents.
• Area C - This area is proposed for a Specific Plan accommodating the Sequoia Gateway Business Park. Before the area could be annexed into the City, the City Council would need to adopt the Specific Plan. Staff intends to work with the business park to conform the existing County-oriented plan to City land use terminology, development standards, infrastructure requirements, and approval procedures.
• Area D - Staff proposes residential uses immediately adjacent to the Sequoia Gateway Business Park. Although this area abuts two major streets that could support commercial development, the adjacent Sequoia Gateway area is expected to accommodate substantial commercial activity. A conceptual park is shown where residential development is constrained due to Airport Safety Zone 2. Its location and size are schematic and subject to change, but its acreage is intended to accommodate projected demand at a ratio of five acres per 1,000 residents.
• Area E - This area currently consists of estate-sized residential land uses, portions of which are located within Airport Safety Zone 4. Staff proposes a Very Low Density Residential land use designation to recognize the area’s existing residential character while limiting the intensity of future residential development relative to other City residential land use designations.
The proposed designation would nevertheless allow greater residential capacity than the existing County zoning and is expected to be inconsistent with the residential compatibility policies of the Tulare County Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan. Staff will quantify the existing and potential residential capacity and evaluate airport safety, noise, overflight, and land use alternatives through the environmental review process. The applicable General Plan amendments and Specific Plan will be referred to the Airport Land Use Commission (ALUC) before City Council considers their adoption.
If the ALUC finds the proposed plan inconsistent, staff will return with the ALUC’s findings and the available options, including modifying the plan to achieve consistency or considering an override in accordance with state law. No direction regarding an override is requested at this work session.
• Area F - Although outside the Reserve Area, this area is included to address related land use changes. Staff proposes relocating the Neighborhood Commercial designation from the planned intersection of Roeben Avenue and Midvalley Avenue/Avenue 274, where neither major street currently exists, to Roeben and Caldwell Avenues. Associated revisions would allow approximately seven additional acres to be designated for development and would establish appropriate Conservation designations. Following consultation with Visalia Unified School District, staff also proposes expanding the two planned elementary school sites to the southeast corner of Akers Street and Visalia Parkwaynearest the Reserve Area.
Planning Commission’s Recommendation: The Planning Commission recommends the Council direct staff to proceed with Land Use Plan provided in Attachment “A” as the preferred plan.
CIRCULATION ELEMENT CHANGES
Major streets are planned along the Reserve Area’s perimeter but, with the exception of Shirk Road and Caldwell Avenue, few planned major streets traverse the area. Staff proposes adding Collector streets to the Circulation Element generally following the Clancy alignment and extending the Visalia Parkway and Whitendale Avenue alignments. The proposed circulation plan is shown in Attachment B.
Planning Commission’s Recommendation: The Planning Commission recommends the Council direct staff to proceed with circulation plan provided in Attachment B.
DEVELOPMENT TIER BOUNDARIES
Why Tier Boundaries
During outreach, property owners and developers have asked in which development tiers the Reserve Area would be placed. Because the Reserve Area currently lacks land use designations, it is not included within a development tier. The tier system allows the City to prioritize infill development and subsequently expand into greenfield areas where utilities can be extended efficiently. Although managed growth can create short-term development constraints, it reduces leapfrog development and the creation of disconnected neighborhoods.
Area North of Caldwell Avenue
The area north of Caldwell Avenue could connect to the existing sewer system in Walnut Avenue through construction of sewer improvements noted as WWGM-14A and WWGM-14B in Attachment D. These projects consist of approximately 5,000 feet of new 12- and 15-inch sewer main in Shirk Road and have a combined capital improvement cost of approximately $2.43 million. Although the Master Plan schedules these projects for Phase 4, the improvements do not require a highway or railroad crossing and provide a more direct connection to the existing system.
Planning Commission’s Recommendation: The Planning Commission recommends placing the area north of Caldwell Avenue in the Tier II Urban Development Boundary.
Area South of Caldwell Avenue
The Master Plan identifies sewer improvements noted as WWGM-15A and WWGM-15B as major backbone improvements for extending the Visalia Parkway trunk system across SR 99. WWGM-15A consists of approximately 5,700 feet of new main west of SR 99, and WWGM-15B consists of approximately 500 feet of main within a larger casing crossing SR 99 and the railroad tracks using trenchless construction. The combined capital improvement cost is approximately $7.18 million, representing the minimum estimated cost to extend the major trunkline to serve the first land use east of SR 99.and given the first land use is east of SR 99, this represents, at minimum, the first user cost to extend this major trunkline.
WWGM-15C would provide an additional 10,300 feet of main connecting WWGM-15B to the existing system at Visalia Parkway and Akers Street. Its capital improvement cost is approximately $8.88 million. Together, WWGM-15A through WWGM-15C represent approximately $16.06 million in planned Phase 4 infrastructure.
Although the Master Plan assigns these costs entirely to future users, that allocation does not resolve the timing difference between the substantial upfront construction cost and the gradual collection of capacity charges as development occurs. Advancing the area could therefore require developer front funding, City or utility financing, or another funding and reimbursement mechanism. Given the scale and complexity of this required infrastructure, staff recommends placing the area south of Caldwell Avenue in Tier III, except for the Sequoia Gateway Business Park area described below.
Planning Commission’s Recommendation: The Planning Commission recommends placing the area south of Caldwell Avenue in the Tier III Urban Development Boundary.
Sequoia Gateway Exception
Staff recommends placing the Sequoia Gateway Business Park area in Tier II because it has a separate means of connecting to the City’s existing sewer system that does not depend on construction of the aforementioned trunk line. In 2020, the City Council authorized an extraterritorial service agreement allowing the property owner to construct an approximately 6,300-foot private sewer line from the project to the City’s sewer main in Walnut Avenue. This connection allows the property to receive sewer service independently of the master-planned Visalia Parkway trunk extension.
Placement within Tier II would not authorize development, commit the City to annexation, or establish that adequate municipal services are presently available. Before the City initiates or supports annexation, staff would evaluate whether the area can be adequately served by fire, police, public works, and other municipal services; identify the infrastructure and operational costs associated with providing those services; and determine how those costs would be funded. The City Council would retain discretion to defer or decline annexation if adequate services and funding cannot be demonstrated.
Planning Commission’s Recommendation: The Planning Commission recommends to proceed with the Tier boundary lines as depicted in Attachment C.
INDUSTRIAL DESIGN STANDARDS
The proposed Industrial Specific Plan area occupies a prominent location along SR 99, Caldwell Avenue, Shirk Road, and Walnut Avenue. Development within the area will be visible from major community entrances and could influence the appearance of Visalia’s southwestern gateway. Design standards could establish a cohesive district identity while addressing building façades, entrances, loading areas, outdoor storage, parking, landscaping, screening, and utilities.
The standards must also recognize the intended users of the Specific Plan area. The plan is intended to accommodate a range of employment-generating businesses, including smaller manufacturers, service businesses, trades, and other businesses seeking opportunities to construct and own their facilities. Design requirements should therefore improve the area’s appearance without unnecessarily precluding cost-effective industrial construction.
Past Design Elements
Industrial and commercial buildings constructed in Visalia and elsewhere in the southern San Joaquin Valley during the 1930s and 1940s used several recurring architectural elements. These included:
• Entrances defined by raised or articulated parapets;
• Strong horizontal bands separating portions of the façade;
• Vertical columns, pilasters, or building bays;
• Ornamental parapet elements;
• Awnings and canopies over entrances;
• Brick, masonry, or other substantial materials at the building base; and
• Clearly differentiated storefront and customer-entry areas.
These elements created an organized relationship between the base, middle, and roofline of a building. Although the proposed standards would draw from this architectural vocabulary, they would not require buildings to reproduce historic architecture or use traditional masonry construction throughout every elevation.
Proposed Architectural Goal
The architectural goal is to establish a recognizable “traditional industrial” character that draws from Visalia’s industrial and commercial heritage while accommodating contemporary building forms, materials, and business operations.
The proposed standard would promote cohesiveness by requiring the major architectural elements of each building to work together as part of an identifiable design framework. Individual projects could retain their own identity while sharing common principles for building massing, entrances, façade organization, materials, colors, landscaping, and screening.
Proposed Architectural Objective
If directed by Council, staff and the consultant would prepare a “traditional industrial” architectural standard containing clear and measurable requirements. The work would include several schematic design variations demonstrating how the standard could apply to different industrial buildings and users.
The standard could permit cost-effective materials such as metal panels, tilt-up or precast concrete panels, and high-performance glazing. More prominent materials-including brick, stone, precast stone, or comparable materials-could be concentrated at entrances, building bases, street-facing elevations, and other highly visible locations.
The resulting standards would address:
• Building massing and roofline or parapet treatment;
• Façade modulation and the spacing of vertical building bays;
• Entrance identification;
• Horizontal bands and building-base treatments;
• Compatible materials and color palettes;
• Awnings, canopies, glazing, and architectural details;
• Landscaping and parking-lot edges; and
• Screening of loading areas, outdoor storage, mechanical equipment, and utilities.
A standards table or checklist would identify the objective requirements applicable to each project. The schematic variations would illustrate acceptable ways to comply but would not limit applicants to the exact buildings shown.
Two decision points for Council at this time are as follows:
1. Which geographic approach should staff use in preparing the Specific Plan design standards?
a. Perimeter-focused approach. Existing City design standards would apply throughout the interior of the Specific Plan area, while enhanced Specific Plan standards would apply to street-facing façades, landscaping, screening, outdoor storage, and other visible portions of properties abutting SR 99, Caldwell Avenue, Shirk Road, and Walnut Avenue.
b. Area-wide approach. Enhanced Specific Plan standards would apply to all development throughout the Specific Plan area, providing the highest degree of consistency but potentially increasing development costs and limiting flexibility.
c. Tiered approach. Baseline Specific Plan standards would apply throughout the area, with enhanced requirements along selected gateway frontages, at major entries, and in other highly visible locations. This approach would establish a cohesive district identity while accommodating different building sizes, business types, contemporary construction methods, and cost-effective materials.
Enhanced standards along these frontages would reinforce the area’s role as a prominent gateway and contribute to a recognizable, high-quality identity for the Specific Plan area.
Planning Commission’s Recommendation: The Planning Commission recommends the areawide approach because it would establish a consistent baseline level of design quality throughout the Specific Plan area while concentrating the most demanding standards in locations that contribute most directly to Visalia’s gateway identity.
2. Should the Specific Plan establish a traditional industrial architectural standard, illustrated through several schematic design variations, or should its standards remain architecturally neutral?
a. Traditional industrial standard. The Specific Plan would establish an identifiable traditional industrial architectural framework based on the design elements described above. Several objective design variations would demonstrate how the framework could accommodate different building sizes, materials, and business types while maintaining a cohesive district identity.
b. Architecturally-neutral standards. The Specific Plan would regulate matters such as building articulation, entrances, materials, landscaping, and screening but would not establish a particular architectural character. This approach would provide greater architectural flexibility but less assurance that projects would collectively establish a recognizable district identity.
In preparing either approach, staff would emphasize clear and objective standards that improve design cohesiveness without unnecessarily limiting cost-effective industrial construction. Standards could allow metal and precast-concrete buildings while requiring architectural emphasis at entries, street-facing elevations, and other prominent locations through coordinated materials, colors, façade elements, and landscaping.
Planning Commission’s Recommendation: The Planning Commission recommends development of a traditional industrial architectural standard containing objective requirements and several schematic design variations. This approach would establish a cohesive district identity while accommodating different building sizes, business types, contemporary construction methods, and cost-effective materials.
PLANNING COMMISSION
On October 12, 2026, Planning Commission reviewed staff’s recommendations and made the following recommendations to City Council:
1. Use attachment A as the preferred land use plan for environmental review and further plan preparation;
2. Use attachment B as the preferred circulation plan for environmental review and further plan preparation;
3. Use attachment C as the preferred development tier plan for further infrastructure and land use planning;
4. Prepare Specific Plan design standards using the areawide approach; and
5. Develop a traditional industrial architectural standard containing objective requirements and several schematic design variations.
Public comment was received from one property in the project area requesting that consideration of commercial uses be considered within the area. At this time, staff is not seeking specific uses within the plan area, consideration on specific uses will be discussed at future meetings with both the Planning Commission and City Council.
NEXT STEPS
Following Council direction, staff will work with the consultant to advance environmental review and prepare draft design standards for the Specific Plan area. Staff will return to the City Council with the draft standards for review.
Fiscal Impact: No additional appropriation is requested. Continued plan preparation and environmental review are included within the previously authorized consultant contract. Implementation of the plans will require significant infrastructure investment and ongoing public service expenditures as new development occurs. New development would contribute to infrastructure funding through development impact fees and generate property and sales tax revenues to help support infrastructure and public services. These costs and potential funding sources will be evaluated as the plans are developed.
Prior Council Action: On January 20, 2026, Council authorized the awarding of a professional services contract to proceed with the preparation of Reserve Area Land Use Designations, Specific Plan for Potential Industrial Land Uses, and Program Environmental Impact Report.
Alternatives: Council may direct modifications to any of the preferred plans, select a different design standards approach, request additional analysis or outreach, or defer direction on one or more topics.
Recommended Motion (and Alternative Motions if expected):
recommendation
I move to direct staff to:
1. Use attachment A as the preferred land use plan for environmental review and further plan preparation;
2. Use attachment B as the preferred circulation plan for environmental review and further plan preparation;
3. Use attachment C as the preferred development tier plan for further infrastructure and land use planning;
4. Prepare Specific Plan design standards using the areawide approach, with baseline standards throughout the Specific Plan area and enhanced requirements along prominent frontages, at gateway locations, and in other highly visible areas; and
5. Develop a traditional industrial architectural standard containing objective requirements and several schematic design variations.
This direction is preliminary and does not approve the plans or limit the City Council’s discretion following environmental review, agency consultation, and public input.
Environmental Assessment Status: Program EIR preparation pending
CEQA Review: Council’s direction at this work session is preliminary planning guidance and does not approve the proposed land use, circulation, tier boundary, or design concepts or commit the City to their eventual adoption. The concepts may be modified or rejected based on environmental review, agency consultation, public input, or subsequent Council consideration. Accordingly, the requested direction does not constitute approval of the future General Plan amendments or Specific Plan for purposes of CEQA. A Program EIR will be prepared and considered before any action to adopt those plans.
Deadline for Action: N/A
Attachments:
Attachment A - Staff-Recommended Land Use Designation
Attachment B - Staff-Recommended Circulation Exhibit
Attachment C - Staff-Recommended Development Tier Boundary Exhibit
Attachment D - Sewer Master Plan Excerpts
Attachment E - Illustrative Industrial Design Concepts
Attachment F - Presentation
Strategic Goal: Indicates which City Strategic Goal(s) this item supports. Check all that apply.
|
☒ Economic Vitality |
☐  Organizational Excellence |
☐ Fiscal Strength |
☒  Infrastructure & Growth |
☒  Quality of Life |