1.3Mft² building to employ hundreds in Visalia, city believes another Amazon could be coming to town

VISALIA, Calif. (KFSN) -- It's empty now, but in a few months, the 1.3 million square feet building on Plaza Drive and Riverway Avenue in Visalia is expected to create jobs for hundreds of local residents.

The city of Visalia does not require company names in business applications, but it has a good sense of who may be expanding in town based on a few clues.

"There were some clues in there, they did say they wanted to paint it in Amazon blue, just like our Amazon one and Amazon two have, so we we do anticipate that will be an Amazon Caprock. Actually built this building back in 2024. It's 1.3 million square feet, or just a hair underneath, and it mimics almost identically to the Amazon one and Amazon two we already have," explains Brett Taylor, Mayor for the City of Visalia.

The city says the other two nearby Amazon facilities employ about 1,000 people each, and that this one is expected to provide about 500 local jobs, possibly meaning more career options for the next generation.

"Our unemployment rates here in the Central Valley have always been kind of higher than the rest of the nation, and Visalia is now at some of the lowest unemployment rates that we've ever had. It's because great companies like Amazon are coming in and they're hiring our young people. Visalia offers a great work-life balance," expresses Taylor.

The cost is unknown but is estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

City leaders say 97% of the West Coast can be reached in one day from Visalia, thanks to nearby access to highways, making the area even more desirable.

"Visalia specifically has been first. We're very easy to work with, with a lot of these big companies, and that's what they're looking for. They're looking for cities that are eager to have them come. We are essentially located in the state of California, so our folks here, they can wake up in their own beds, and they can make a delivery down in LA or go pick up a shipment out of the docks," mentions Taylor.

Plus, the central location could mean faster delivery times for local shoppers while boosting the local economy.

"A real good economic addition to the city of Visalia and the economic situation for people in Visalia. So overall, I think it's a win-win. I think it's a good location for Amazon. We're centrally located, and the whole idea behind it is to create faster service for the people that partake in Amazon. Yhis is a good addition," says Steve Nelson with the City of Visalia and Downtown Visalians.

Action News is waiting to hear back from Amazon on confirmation.

Meanwhile, the city says there are a few other major retailers, like a Costco in North Visalia, plus Sam's Club and Chick-fil-A, near Texas Roadhouse, coming to town in the coming years.

The city of Visalia says it is excited to continue growing, which encourages companies to want to work and develop locally.

The city says the location could open possibly by the end of the year.

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