Winter 2004
PROJECTS: City of Visalia Prepares to Open New Mixed Use Transit
Center  Rail
and bus systems are on the rise. According to the new national
organization Reconnecting
America, “more regions are developing
mass transit and more consumers are choosing mass transit over
driving on congested roadways. Whereas public transit had existed
primarily in older Northeastern cities, new systems have begun
service in cities like Dallas, Denver, Salt Lake City, Sacramento,
Charlotte, San Diego, Portland and San Jose. In fact, new rail
or rapid bus systems are planned or under construction in all but
three of the top 30 metropolitan areas.”
Are Central Valley residents in step with the times? It seems
so. Nearly equal percentages of those surveyed by the Public
Policy Institute of California preferred emphasis on mass transit as preferred
emphasis on local streets and freeways as a way to meet future
Central Valley transportation needs. Sixty-three percent say new
housing should be built near public transportation. Visalia is clearly getting the message. The City is about to open
a new $5 million mixed use transit center that features sixteen
bus bays, three floors of office space with a 2-story lobby, and
a pedestrian plaza with a fountain linked to a clock tower. A police
substation with windows on the plaza, lobby and building exterior
will add comfort and security for riders. A landscaped pedestrian
walkway connects the Center to the heart of downtown.  The Visalia Transit Center will be the hub of local and regional
transit service within the Visalia Urbanized Area, increasing foot
traffic downtown and catalyzing development in the downtown’s
nascent northeast section. State and federal grants funded construction
of the 32,500 sq. ft. facility, whose focal point is the three-story,
7,280 square feet per floor Transit Center Building. The ground
floor of the building will house a transit ticket office, public
restrooms for transit passengers and a lobby. The second and third
floors will be the new offices for City of Visalia Administration,
including the City Manager and City Clerk staff. The Mayor and
City Council will also have dedicated offices and conference rooms
in the facility. The tenant improvements for the 2nd & 3rd
floors will be completed this summer.
A landscaped public plaza was constructed to the east of the
Transit Center Building with a separate driver break room on the
east end of the block that is fronted with a clock tower. Space
for an outside food vendor is also included which will be leased
shortly. The facility has room for twelve to sixteen buses surrounding
the building and plaza. Oak Street was developed north of the building
to incorporate the San Joaquin Valley Railroad tracks into the
project allowing access to the Tulare County bus service bays on
the north side of Oak Street as well as potential cross-valley
passenger rail service that is currently under study. The new center is proving to be a catalyst for private development.
Already a new two-story office building is planned near the facility.
A local health care clinic signed a lease for the space, providing
a synergistic neighbor to the transit center. City and County buses, Greyhound and Orange Belt Stages will locate
at the center, and there will be an Amtrak bus connection to the
Hanford and Fresno stations. The buses are expected to start running
Saturday, February 21. The Grand Opening Ceremony is scheduled
for Monday, March 8 at 5:00 P.M. For more information, contact Monte Cox, Transit Manager, City
of Visalia: 559-713-4100. |
