By Faughn Economy • New Developments 0 Comments

Fresno EDC, City Council To Explore Enticing Microchip Makers To Town

Fresno City Councilmember Nelson Esparza, in cooperation with Fresno Economic Development Corp. President and CEO Will Oliver, announced plans Tuesday to incentivize businesses to invest and develop semiconductor manufacturing in the city under the federal Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) program.

At a city hall news conference, Esparza and Oliver discussed the Fresno CHIPs Incentive Act, which aims to bring a competitive edge to the city in attracting the semiconductor industry to be part of the growing U.S. supply chain and innovation ecosystem.

Signed into law during the first year of President Biden’s administration, the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 aims to strengthen U.S. manufacturing and supply chains and invest more than $50 billion in research and development to ensure the U.S. continues to lead in nanotechnology, clean energy, quantum computing and artificial intelligence.

Incentives under the local proposal, to be considered by the Fresno City Council at its Thursday meeting, would allow eligible companies to receive tax breaks with the city, with the incentives being determined in part by the number of jobs created.

Joined by Oliver and Esparza were Fresno Chamber of Commerce CEO Scott Miller, San Joaquin Valley Manufacturing Association CEO Genelle Taylor Kumpe and City Attorney Andrew Janz.

“This legislation will provide us the edge we need to be competitive in this market as the industry begins to grow again here on U.S. soil. Fresno can lead the way in attracting those companies in the semi-conductor supply chain here in the Central Valley,” Esparza said.

He said the local legislation is complementary to the federal CHIPS act, making companies’ federal applications more competitive for securing local incentives.

Esparza said this legislation will be the first local CHIPS incentive act in California that is not tied to a state or federal municipality.

According to the proposal, the city will be looking at companies willing to commit capital investments of $20 million to $300 million and more.

Incentive amounts could range from 30-35% of capital investments.

Esparza said they are attempting to make a semiconductor hub in Fresno, positioning the city as a center for technological advancement and economic growth.

Oliver noted that the Fresno EDC was awarded $23 million dollars form the Good Jobs Challenge grant, meant to be used for recruiting and training the workforce.

He said the city has a unique position from an economic and logistical standpoint, offering a natural competitiveness and a strategic location between the major seaports of the state — as well as an available workforce.

The Fresno CHIPS Act program will not only attract semiconductor manufacturers, but complementary companies such as suppliers and distributors as well.

Every $15 invested for projects by companies will be matched with $1 locally to match the economic diversification and growth, Oliver said.

“We think this is great precedent moving forward to realign incentives to our community, our race to the top, living wages, access to health care and benefits, and access to jobs created by companies that are here to grow our economy and community,” Oliver said.

https://thebusinessjournal.com/fresno-edc-city-council-to-explore-enticing-microchip-makers-to-town/

By Faughn Education • New Developments 0 Comments

West Hills College officials host groundbreaking for new Lemoore Visual Arts and Applied Science Building in Lemoore

On Friday morning this week, West Hills College Lemoore officials and guests hosted a groundbreaking ceremony at its campus in Lemoore to celebrate the construction of a new Visual Arts & Applied Sciences (VAAS) Building.

Guests were told that this state-of-the-art, 44,382-square-foot facility will serve as a hub for laboratory classrooms, career technical education programs, and nursing and health careers, addressing the growing demand for high-paying jobs in our community.

The VAAS building will be a cornerstone in the college’s mission to provide students with innovative educational opportunities and practical skills. Modern laboratories will allow students to gain hands-on, high-paying jobs in the community.

College officials say the VAAS building is set to be a cornerstone in the college’s mission to provide students with innovative educational opportunities and practical skills. Modern laboratories will offer students the chance to gain hands-on experience in various fields. At the same time, dedicated spaces for career technical education and health career programs will ensure that the curriculum is aligned with local industry needs, preparing students for in-demand jobs and contributing to the region’s healthcare workforce.

“This new building is another significant step forward in our commitment to delivering high-quality education and training opportunities to our students,” said West Hills College President James Preston in a press release before Friday’s groundbreaking ceremony.

“The VAAS building will feature an innovative blend of educational programs in the areas of Health Careers, Information Technology, and Visual Arts that will empower our students and community and enhance our capacity to meet local industry demands,” said Preston.

The groundbreaking ceremony signifies the beginning of a new era for the college and represents a substantial investment in the future of education and the economic vitality of the community.

http://www.mylemooreleader.com/181099

By Faughn New Developments 0 Comments

New Visalia industrial warehouse to break ground

Visalia Industrial Park could have a good year in 2024. Fowler-based G-4 Enterprises is moving forward on a planned 310,000 square feet tilt-up warehouse in the industrial park in the new year. The company has filed building plans and should begin construction in January or February, says their broker, Ethan Smith.

The new building is south of Goshen Avenue at 1030 N. Kelsey St. (Road 84). Depending on the weather, Smith estimates, looking for about eight to 10 months of construction time.

Smith said that 2023 was a confusing year for both developers and tenants. They faced supply chain disruptions, high building costs, and interest rates, as well as uncertainty over the direction of the economy.

“We see more development in the Valley in 2024,” Smith said.

Visalia has a leg up when it comes to site selection with a track record of getting deals done on construction, approvals, and both utilities and land in place, he added. Planned industrial projects in Visalia have mostly been on hold in the past year, with only one huge building breaking ground in June, a massive 1.2 million-square-foot building west of Plaza Drive and north of Riggin under construction.

CapRock, developers of two Amazon buildings in Visalia, is developing the spec building. No tenant has been announced. The building could be ready by mid-2024. Seefried Properties is poised to move forward in 2024 on a huge 280-acre project at Riggin, west of Shirk. Seefried built the 400-job Ace Hardware project, now open on Plaza Drive. G-4 also has been stalled in Goshen on a speculative industrial building there. Still, a new agreement to provide sewer service to the community on new projects should also allow this project to move forward.

https://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/story/news/2024/01/05/new-visalia-industrial-warehouse-to-break-ground/72112687007/

By Faughn New Developments • Tourism • Workforce 0 Comments

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tejon Breaks Ground

Hard Rock International and the Tejon Indian Tribe celebrated the groundbreaking of the long-awaited hotel and casino located at Hwy. 166 and Sabodan Road West in the community of Mettler, California on Tejon Tribal land. The celebration featured a commemorative shovel groundbreaking with Hard Rock representatives, Tejon Indian Tribe leadership and general membership plus statewide and local community leaders.

The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tejon will be more than 700,000 square feet of which 150,000 square feet will be gaming space, featuring 2,500 of the most popular slots, 48 table games, and video poker, and will be the second closest class III casino to Los Angeles.

“This is an exciting day for the state of California, Kern County and the Tejon Indian Tribe,” said Octavio Escobedo, III Chair of the Tejon Indian Tribe. “This groundbreaking is a symbolic ceremony for the Tribe, which was landless for more than 150 years and has been a priority for us since we were reaffirmed as a federally recognized Indian tribe. From the start of our relationship with the United States government in 1851, our Tribe has fought for a homeland for our people. Today we are one major step closer to the dream of self-determination through economic development. The Tribe would like to thank local community support, the support from Kern County government, the entire California State Legislature, our federal delegation in Washington DC, and especially Governor Gavin Newsom. Including all the non-governmental organizations, SSCR LLC, Hard Rock International and the Seminole Tribe of Florida who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with us to help make our dream of restoring our land base and this groundbreaking possible.”

The project is expected to create approximately 2,000 construction-specific jobs and will be managed by the Penta Building Group, a southern California Company. Once both phases are completed, the project is expected to create approximately 5,000 direct and indirect jobs, both full-time and part-time.

Multiple dining options, including a signature Hard Rock Cafe and fine dining restaurant Council Oak Steaks and Seafood, a Rock Shop, and much more will be included in phase one. Rounding out the second phase will be a 400-room hotel, additional fine dining, pool, spa, cigar lounge and 2,800-seat Hard Rock Live event venue that will draw attractions like concert performances, comedy acts and sporting events to name a few. In addition, Hard Rock’s signature memorabilia will be on display throughout the property. The anticipated completion date of phase one is expected to be 22 months after the first shovel in the ground. Phase two is expected to be another 20 months and will complete the entire hotel and casino.

“Hard Rock is proud to partner with the Tejon Indian Tribe on creating a world-class entertainment destination,” said Jim Allen, chairman of Hard Rock International. “The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tejon property will be another incredible offering in our West Coast portfolio, and we are committed to supporting the local community and creating a lasting positive economic impact for the State of California.”

https://www.latimes.com/b2bpublishing/business-announcements/story/2023-12-20/hard-rock-hotel-casino-tejon-breaks-ground

By Faughn Health/Medical • New Developments 0 Comments

UC Merced Medical Education Building Gains Final Approval from UC Regents

At their Nov. 15 meeting, the Regents of the University of California gave final approval for the construction of a new medical education building at UC Merced. The vote approved the final design, California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) findings and the full budget and financing.

The four-story building, designed by the firm ZGF, will feature 203,500 square feet of instructional, academic office, research and community-facing space and common areas. The project has a price tag of $300 million, funded by a combination of state General Fund appropriations, the campus budget and donor gifts.

“We are very pleased by the Regents’ show of support for medical education at UC Merced,” said UC Merced Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz. “The lack of quality healthcare options in the region is well-documented, and this new building will enable UC Merced to train physicians uniquely qualified to address the Valley’s health needs.”

The new facility will be home to UC Merced’s medical education pathway, which was developed in partnership with UCSF and UCSF Fresno. The first cohort of students began classes this fall. It will also house:

● The departments of Psychological Sciences and Public Health

● The Health Sciences Research Institute

● Allied healthcare-related programs (developed in partnership with community colleges)

● A range of medical education and general assignment learning environments

● Specialty learning spaces for medical education, general assignment classrooms, and class laboratories to support several new and existing academic programs

This project will comply with the University of California Sustainable Practices Policy, which establishes goals for green building, clean energy, transportation, climate protection, facilities operations, zero waste, procurement, food service and water systems. Supporting UC Merced’s carbon neutrality status, the building will be run entirely on clean electricity, without the use of natural gas.

Construction is anticipated to begin in spring 2024 with completion slated for fall 2026. Current growth projections show the facility serving approximately 2,220 undergraduates by 2030.

https://news.ucmerced.edu/news/2023/uc-merced-medical-education-building-gains-final-approval-uc-regents

By Faughn New Developments • New Location 0 Comments

MEGA ASHLEY FURNITURE CENTER WILL BE NEXT TO LATHROP HIGH

When Ashley Furniture moved into a 525,000 square foot facility on South Harlan Road in 2018, it’s doubtful that they had planned on outgrowing the facility in just five years.

But that’s exactly what has happened.

Last month, the Lathrop City Council approved a conditional use permit for the company’s proposed expansion – which was temporarily shelved after community concern during a public hearing prompted further review – that will allow for the construction of a nearly 1.5 million square foot concrete tilt-up building on Dos Reis Road. The company’s existing 525,000 square foot building – 50,000 square feet of which is utilized as a furniture showroom and retail store – on South Harlan Road will eventually be vacated and put up for either lease or sale.

There will be 110,000 square feet of showroom space in the new 1.5 million square-foot building. It will include the largest Ashley Homestore in the region coming in at 110,000 square feet — just 6,641 square feet less than the Living Spaces showroom in Manteca at Union Road and the 120 Bypass. It will also be the largest distribution center ever built in Lathrop. By comparison, the Wayfair distribution center in Lathrop has 1.1 million square feet.

Because Dos Reis Road runs along the back side of Lathrop High School, and because the land in the area was designated for a new use in the general plan update adopted by the council earlier this year, members of the community raised concerns about the impact of truck traffic in the area and the proximity to students attending school at Lathrop High.

According to the staff report and presentation prepared for the council, the property will be roughly 1,500 feet from the property of the high school – with a green belt of undeveloped land between the two – at its closest point, and an extensive landscape buffer that will ultimately provide more than 388,000 square feet of landscaped to create a cushion between the two competing uses.

All truck traffic, according to the Central Lathrop Specific Plan and outlined in the documents prepared for the Ashley project, must access the site from north of Dos Reis Road – including Manthey Road, Roth Road, and I-5. As a condition of approval, the applicant must install signage on Lathrop Road, Spartan Way, Golden Valley Parkway, Dos Reis Road, and Manthey Road to the south of the north driveway to the property that clearly prohibits trucks from using that route.

Onsite signage must also be posted on the site that prohibits trucks from turning right on Manthey Road when leaving the site – sending all trucks north to Roth Road where they can access I-5. One of the additional conditions of approval will be the applicant constructing a roundabout at the intersection of Dos Reis Road and Golden Valley Parkway – serving as an “enhanced gateway” to the area and featuring monumentation, enhanced landscaping, lighting, and other associated elements.

Pedestrian actuated flashing warning lights are also stipulated as a condition.

https://www.mantecabulletin.com/news/local-news/city-offices-back-downtown/

By Faughn New Developments 0 Comments

Costco is opening a new store in Stanislaus County. Here’s where and when it will open

After years of shoppers wishing and hoping for one, a new Costco store is coming to Riverbank’s planned Crossroads West shopping center. Work has begun on the site of the new retail complex, on the corner of Claribel and Oakdale roads, across from the existing Crossroads Regional Shopping Center. The retailer will serve as the anchor for the new development, which will include other businesses and restaurants on the 555,000-square-foot property.

The wholesale shopping juggernaut already has two locations in Stanislaus County, one in Modesto on Pelandale Avenue and one in Turlock on Tegner Road. But rumors and wishful thinking about another Costco coming to the region have been circulating for years, particularly since 2019, when plans for the Crossroads West companion development were approved. Walnut Creek-based Browman Development Co., the same firm behind the popular existing Crossroads shopping center, is overseeing the commercial development of Crossroads West. The site takes up the northwest corner of the busy intersection that was home to Dutch Hollow Farms before the project began moving forward. The farm attraction since has moved to a new site off Milnes Road.

“It’s huge, I mean, obviously from a sales tax perspective, it’s huge for any town to have a Costco,” said Browman leasing agent Will Bettencourt. “It really solidified this area, this intersection, as the regional shopping destination for those nearby towns. It’s big.”

Crews are doing initial work on the property, including grading and leveling. Bettencourt said to expect the groundwork to go on for a few months, followed by a few months of site and utility work. Then later in the year, he said, Costco is expected to begin work on the building, with an anticipated opening mid-2024. The Riverbank location is expected to be around the same size as the area’s other facilities, about 150,000 square feet. The store also is expected to be the first tenant to open in the shopping complex. Now that Costco has signed on, Bettencourt said he expects other retailers to follow shortly.

Browman is targeting other shops, sit-down and drive-thru restaurants, clothing sellers, banks and fitness centers for the soon-to-be-built spaces. Initial plans for the multi-use development also include an apartment complex of more than 200 units. But Bettencourt said final plans for any residential component are still in the works, and initial construction would be a good year and a half to two years away. That housing would be separate from the nearly 2,000-home subdivision planned on the 380-acre plot just north of the Costco site. The new housing development, which is part of the larger Crossroads West Specific Plan, broke ground in early 2021. Since then, about 75 homes have been completed or started out of planned 114 single-family homes that will be part of the subdivision’s first phase, said FCB Homes President Tom Doucette.

The Stockton-based developer said the next phase, which should start sometime next year, would build an additional 114 single-family units to the south of Westgate Drive (formerly Crawford Road). Currently, all of the existing homes are to the north of the street. The second phase will also include a 40,000-square-foot park. Riverbank City Councilman Luis Uribe said the Costco news was welcome. The city, he said, should get ready for changes with the arrival of the major retailer, which reported $222.7 billion in net sales for the 2022 fiscal year.

“My goal is to ensure a balanced and thriving community in Riverbank. Having a mix of residential and commercial areas is important for the overall development and sustainability of the city,” he said in a written comment on Costco news. “By supporting new businesses and downtown establishments, you are contributing to the local economy and creating opportunities for growth.”

The new Crossroads West commercial expansion will be 5,000 square feet larger than its across-the-street companion retail center. The original Crossroads opened in 2005, and last year completed work on the final undeveloped pad in the complex. A new El Pollo Loco opened across from Red Robin in that space early last year. Expect a similarly long build-out for the new Crossroads West commercial development, Bettencourt said. Initial plans for the companion development had a 20-year time frame to finish the entire project. Work on the retail complex, which initially hoped to have a 2020 opening, was delayed by several years because of the pandemic and other factors.

City officials and Browman representatives will have a groundbreaking ceremony July 11 at the site, in preparation for the new Costco.

https://amp.modbee.com/news/business/article276840371.html

 

By Faughn Health/Medical • New Developments 0 Comments

UC Merced Medical Education Building Gains Final Approval from UC Regents

At their Nov. 15 meeting, the Regents of the University of California gave final approval for the construction of a new medical education building at UC Merced. The vote approved the final design, California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) findings and the full budget and financing.

The four-story building, designed by the firm ZGF, will feature 203,500 square feet of instructional, academic office, research and community-facing space and common areas. The project has a price tag of $300 million, funded by a combination of state General Fund appropriations, the campus budget and donor gifts.

“We are very pleased by the Regents’ show of support for medical education at UC Merced,” said UC Merced Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz. “The lack of quality healthcare options in the region is well-documented, and this new building will enable UC Merced to train physicians uniquely qualified to address the Valley’s health needs.”

The new facility will be home to UC Merced’s medical education pathway, which was developed in partnership with UCSF and UCSF Fresno. The first cohort of students began classes this fall. It will also house:

● The departments of Psychological Sciences and Public Health

● The Health Sciences Research Institute

● Allied healthcare-related programs (developed in partnership with community colleges)

● A range of medical education and general assignment learning environments

● Specialty learning spaces for medical education, general assignment classrooms, and class laboratories to support several new and existing academic programs

This project will comply with the University of California Sustainable Practices Policy, which establishes goals for green building, clean energy, transportation, climate protection, facilities operations, zero waste, procurement, food service and water systems. Supporting UC Merced’s carbon neutrality status, the building will be run entirely on clean electricity, without the use of natural gas.

Construction is anticipated to begin in spring 2024 with completion slated for fall 2026. Current growth projections show the facility serving approximately 2,220 undergraduates by 2030.

https://news.ucmerced.edu/news/2023/uc-merced-medical-education-building-gains-final-approval-uc-regents