Downtown “J” Street Renaissance On Track

Tulare - As every school kid in town knows, Tulare was founded by the Southern Pacific railroad in 1872. The railroad platted the town’s streets to run parallel to the track but left a wide swath of railroad right-of-way on both sides of the track that divided the community. This dusty no man’s land has remained “nothing but dirt and tumbleweeds” notes city redevelopment director Howard Edson, even in recent times, until this agency decided to do something about it.

“It took an act of Congress” to get the railroad to sell the land to the city through the city redevelopment power of eminent domain, says Edson. But the congressional action a few years ago has only recently meant the railroad has decided to cooperate. Today up and down “J” Street on the east side of the tracks a renaissance that is expanding Downtown Tulare is clearly taking shape.

It was through the office of redevelopment agency that community got Walgreens to open in Downtown following several other enterprises on former railroad property including expansion of the A&W restaurant and the new Texaco station. Edson says there is a whole bunch more development in the works from Cross St. clear down past Inyo.

“I predict within five years development will fill in some seven blocks with new retail, service and restaurants,” says Edson who has worked for the city for over 30 years to help bring this about and plans to retire this July.

Indeed, the redevelopment agency expects to get clear title on four properties along “J” Street in coming months including a new retail strip being developed by Monterey developer Don Orosco for a 35,000 sf center on J between San Joaquin and Cross expected to include a bank. Also a new quick lube business will be sited north of Cross.

A mediator is expected to finalize the value of lands the redevelopment agency has acquired by eminent domain in coming weeks and construction of those projects could start this summer.

Supermarket Anchored Center

By far the largest project, however, is a planned 10 acre neighborhood shopping center being proposed by Orange County developer Paul Quong at Inyo and J Street. Quong is the developer of the new Lowes shopping center in Tulare across from Home Depot. Quong says he is looking for a supermarket tenant to anchor the J Street center bringing a major grocery store to the middle of town. “We hope to attract an ethnic supermarket,” Quong told the Voice, suggesting the project will take a few years to develop. Two major Hispanic markets have been expanding in the valley including Ranch Market in Kern County and LA based Vallarta who has purchased land in Visalia.

Edson says J Street is attractive to developers because of its location is easily accessible from all parts of town. “It looks like the community is growing on all sides with new subdivisions - making Downtown the center” of an expanding circle.

Edson predicts a renewal as well along the old Santa Fe railroad - Pine St. corridor in Downtown in the next few years. A chamber-led effort is working with the abandoned railroad land’s current owner to develop projects.

Older rail corridors were often overlooked in the recent expansion of valley communities including Visalia. Now it’s an old railroad corridor where they plan to site the new city hall and its own Downtown renaissance.

Edson, who has been on the job since 1972, says it feels good to see his efforts and that of the entire community come to fruition on J Street and other redevelopment districts nearby. Recent activity includes the construction of the new ResCom headquarters at M and Inyo and a new parking lot for the Portuguese lodge at Cross and I Street - the first time the redevelopment agency will do a project on the west side of the main line tracks though town.

The agency is also receiving interest in small 48,000 sf parcel at Kern and K Street where the town’s first mixed-use office and residential upstairs may be developed as a result of a recent ordinance.

Tulare’s expansion, infill of the Downtown, is now high on the radar screen at the city because of mayor Rich Ortega’s vision outlined in a recent presentation to the Mayor’s Institute For City Design. Ortega has vowed to make improvements to the Downtown even with the 1960s relocation of Highway 99 east of downtown that created 7 new exits and drew growth to the east of Downtown. Another concern has been in recent years that Tulare would grow rapidly toward Visalia leaving Downtown behind.

The mayor’s new vision for the city will focus on 4 areas in Downtown including the Union Pacific lands along J and I streets, K Street, Pine Ave., and the Zumwalt Park area where city hall is.

Real Sleeper

Ortega told the Voice that the J Street property “was a real sleeper” until recently because no one thought they could acquire it. But through a lawsuit brought by the city and a past action spearheaded through Bill Thomas, the railroad had to come to the table, he says. “Hopefully, now we won’t have to do this on every piece of land up and down the corridor,” says Ortega.

The importance of J Street to the city is “to bring additional activity to the Downtown” that helps support the rest of the businesses. Ortega says his hope on the Pine Street corridor would be to put “more residential units” to help support the Downtown.

Ortega says he has convinced movie theater owner Frank Rimcus to allow use of his power point about the future of Tulare “Making Connections in Downtown Tulare” at the local Galaxy theater and the public will be invited to see the presentation on the big screen.

For Edson the development along the track will continue in the future - both north and south of Downtown with the old fairgrounds likely being the next big redevelopment project in the future. “We’ve had developers come to us with an idea to use some or all of that area once the fair and Agri-Center work something out,” says Edson. Land O’Lakes has expressed interest in some of the land as well, says Edson. “Land O’Lakes has been a good neighbor” in the Downtown with few complaints from people who live and work in Downtown. Few other towns have their largest industry sitting on over 10 square blocks in the middle of town and work harmoniously with the rest of the community.

---

City Pins Hopes for New Library on State Bond Measure

Tulare - The Tulare Public Library has been around for more than forty years. During that time, it’s been expanded and remodeled twice. Considering the library’s age and the two major overhauls, it’s still in fairly good shape. But the facility was built in 1962 for a population of 16,000. Now Tulare’s head count of residents has topped 50,000 and is climbing rapidly. So the city needs a new library.

According to Michael Stowell, the library director, he and his staff saw that the library was getting short on space, especially for children’s books, and that Tulare was beginning to grow more quickly about seven or eight years ago. Shortly thereafter, the state’s voters approved the California Reading and Literacy Improvement and Public Libraries Renovation Bond Act of 2000. The measure made available about $300 million that would be awarded as grants providing 65 percent state funding and requiring 35 percent in local matching funds.

“The state gave the money away in three phases,” says Stowell, recalling that “Visalia applied in the first phase and succeeded in obtaining a grant.” That money is now being used to renovate the original library building, turning it from a dusty storage facility into a full-service children’s library. Tulare applied for Bond Act of 2000 grants in both Phase 2 and Phase 3 and was passed over each time. With this new bond measure on the June ballot, the city is hoping to apply for state money once again and succeed in getting it this time.

To that end, the Tulare Public Library Director says they’ve already formed a library foundation and are doing fundraising to come up with the matching funds. “What’s more,” he added, “the city identified a site for the new library building several years ago and got an option on the property for one year.” The option was extended just to nail down the deal and the site – bounded by Cross, Pine, “M” and “L,” diagonally opposite the new transit center – was purchased last year for $1.2 million. Stowell expects the state to credit 65 percent of the purchase price later on, assuming a grant is awarded.

Why the optimism when the California Reading and Literacy Improvement and Public Library Construction and Renovation Bond Act of 2006 must be approved by voters statewide in an uncertain budgetary climate? According to Stowell, there are two reasons: “First, the measure is twice as large as the one passed in 2000; second, half of the $600 million is earmarked for those projects that failed to receive grants in Phase 3 of that last funding cycle.” Also, if the library bond act passes in June, the same board that administered the funds from the previous library bond act will be awarding the grants this time around.

And those are critical factors in making Tulare’s dream of having a new library come true. The completed project right now is estimated at a total cost of $10-11 million, with $6.5 in state monies and $3.5 million coming from a local match. “Assuming that the grants are awarded in a timely fashion, hopefully July or August, the design and bid phase would begin almost immediately,” says Stowell. “Those processes usually last a year to 16 months, which would have us starting construction next fall.” The building should be completed and ready to occupy by fall of 2009.

However, Stowell does have some concerns about possible glitches in Tulare’s plan to build a new library. One of those could be an increase in construction costs over the next year and a half. “I’m worried that the price of steel and concrete will continue to increase, driving up the prevailing wage projection,” he says. The erstwhile librarian also has another, even more troublesome, concern: that it will be business as usual in Sacramento after the presumed passage of the bond measure. “I’m afraid that California politics will result in the money being sent north and south of us, to major metropolitan areas,” he said.

What if Prop. 81 fails to pass? The construction project is still possible, though not as likely. “The city does have a fallback position,” says Stowell–well, actually, three of them. The first scenario has Tulare remodeling and expanding the current facility for a third time. “But that would eat up even more parking,” he says, “and there’s precious little of that left after the first two makeovers.” Too little space on the outside is almost as bad too little space on the inside in terms of accommodating patrons.

Plan B involves the City of Tulare trying to float its own bond for library construction. As an example of probable public support, Stowell cites a public hearing held to gather input on the then-proposed tax on city utility users. He says, “Seventy to eighty percent of the people in attendance not only approved of the tax measure but also support using the revenue it generated to purchase property for a new library building.” The measure passed and the money was eventually used for just that purpose. But that was $1.2 million versus $10+ million and the City of Tulare would much rather have the state’s help on a project of that magnitude.

The last option would be to open a branch on the east side of Tulare, near Mooney and Bardsley. On the plus side, the COS farm is close by, its satellite campus will be built there and the city is also expanding eastward. But the library director finds one very big problem with that plan: it would increase staffing needs. “Staffing is the biggest part of our yearly budget,” states Stowell, who says Tulare Public Library’s budget for the current fiscal year (‘05-‘06) is $672,000. “Of that, $495,000 is going toward salaries and benefits for personnel.” And that’s not to mention the cost of rent, supplies, maintenance, etc. “So duplicating the current facility would be just too expensive.”

Obviously, Stowell prefers the building of a new library to the three aforementioned scenarios. For one thing, the new site is in a busier section of town than is the location of the current library. Comparing it to the new Woodward Library in Fresno – located near the River Park Shopping Center, Woodward Park, as well as offices and apartment buildings – Stowell says, “It’s been open three years and patronage is very good because the library is in such a central location.” And then there’s that space problem: “We have room for eight computers now and we have demand for about 25 more,” he said. Building the new library would certainly fix that. At 27-thousand square feet, patrons and staff would have more than double the room now available at the old site.

No one has a crystal ball and the future is unpredictable, especially when it comes to the passage of statewide bond measures. But one thing’s certain–come this June, Michael Stowell and the members of the Tulare Public Library Foundation will be voting “Yes” on Proposition 81.

---

Historical Preservation Gaining Momentum

Tulare - A years long effort to protect Tulare's historical buildings may result in special city rules blocking demolition or alterations to certain structures without review.

The Tulare City Council passed a 45-day emergency ordinance to that effect at a meeting last month and will hold a public hearing to consider extending that action or giving a committee time to develop a permanent ordinance.

City Librarian and Tulare native Mike Stowell has been working with the city planning department on the issue and said a number of buildings considered historically important have already been destroyed including an old theater building and the city's Carnegie Library.

The matter may come before the Tulare City Council as early as March 7.

“The mentality at one time was to put up something new,” Stowell said. “Now people understand better the value of the old structures.”

Stowell said city protection can have benefits for property owners, along with restrictions, because sometimes special status can provide tax advantages..

Consideration is also being given to creating a historical district in the residential area that includes Sycamore and Salida Streets near Tulare Union High School. This area includes a range of homes from Craftsman-style bungalows to early 20th Century mansions.

---

Smart Growth: “Town” Coming to Country

Tulare - In the thirties, when George Sayre planted the palm trees that lined the driveway to the two-story farmhouse built by his parents, Charles and Flora Sayre in 1906, the family's 170 acres in the area of Mooney Boulevard south of Tulare Avenue was considered “country.”

When George and his wife Ruth left the farm in the sixties, they moved “to town,” according to his granddaughter Virginia Strauser.

“It seems funny to say that,” she said, “but it was considered a big move back then.” Now, “town” has come to the country. The land farmed by three generations of the Sayre family was purchased for development by Reynen Bardis Communities and is slated for new housing. The palm-lined driveway will become a 1.7 acre park. And the Sayre home has been moved to nearby land and will once again house family members, Strauser said.

The development planned by Reynen Bardis is a new type of housing for Tulare, in keeping with the city's “smart growth” philosophy. The 18-acre planned development would feature what developers call a "six-pack" design with clusters of six small, single-family lots sharing a 20-foot wide private driveway. Phase I of the project, called Palm Ranch, proposes 112 homes. And the old Sayre driveway will form a focal point for the new community with the 70-year-old palms remaining.

The Tulare Planning Commission approved the zone change and tentative subdivision map earlier this year, along with a permit required because the project includes private streets, in 4-1 votes. Commissioner Deanne Rocha voted against approval after voicing concerns about a lack of yard space and parking.

The Tulare City Council approved the project last month, 5-0.

Jason Plausma of Reynen Bardis said the “six-pack” design has been popular in other areas, although the Palm Ranch project is the first Reynen Bardis project of its type in Tulare County.

Centex Homes has a similar small lot project approved for Tulare.

The small lot, planned development concept developments feature one and two-story homes that appeal to both entry-level buyers and “empty nesters” who are scaling down, a spokesman for Reynen Bardis said.

Plausma noted that the design of the project retains the historic palm-lined lane, and members of the Sayre family are happy that the development has resulted in a chance for them to regain the family home.

Strauser and three of her sisters grew up in the house, but her grandfather sold the ranch and home to the Lagomarsino family after her parents were divorced, she said. Her five half-siblings, the children of her father, Richard and Terry Sayre, grew up hearing stories of life on the farm and the graceful farmhouse, but didn't have a chance to live there themselves.

When the property sold, Strauser and her husband, Mike, bought it and the nearby First Assembly of God Church cooperated by subdividing part of its 9-acre parcel to create a few lots along the Kern Street extension. The proposed Palm Ranch subdivision is just south of the property on which the old home will be located. Strauser's half-sister Shea Gowin and her family will live in the home.

---

Return to Archive