REEDLEY – As new construction projects continue to pop up throughout Reedley, residents will soon have access to new dining options, housing and more — once the dust settles.
Rodney Horton, community development director for the city, likened Reedley’s current state to a renaissance of development activity taking place. He said his department has been hard at work to get businesses situated with the permits and planning documents needed to bring new opportunities to the area.
“We do apologize for the inconvenience, and we really appreciate the public’s patience with us,” Horton said. “It’s a lot going on all at one time. … It’s all part of seeing our city prosper and grow.”
Roadwork on Manning Avenue
Manning Avenue will see roadwork activity through February 2024 as the city replaces the water and sewer lines underneath the road between Columbia Avenue/11th Street and Buttonwillow Avenue. Once that is finished, the road will be repaved.
Horton said that one lane will be open in each direction during the day, with intermittent detours as needed. This is something the city has been planning for some time, and once it’s finished, residents will get to experience a smoother ride as they go about their days.
A new DMV
A new field office for the California Department of Motor Vehicles is going up at 1895 East Dinuba Ave., near the roundabout that connects Dinuba Avenue and Buttonwillow Avenue.
In a statement sent to the Mid Valley Times, the DMV said the new space will triple the existing square footage of the field office that is at the corner of Dinuba Avenue and G Street.
“This will allow the DMV to better serve the community by doubling the number of service windows and developing the space to better meet current and projected needs,” the DMV said. “Additionally, the office has been designed to achieve LEED Silver Certification and is a Zero Net Energy project.”
The California Department of General Services is working with the DMV to build the office, and construction is expected to begin in July 2024.
The existing office is being leased by the DMV, and the site owner will decide future usage once the lease expires, the statement said.
Housing projects
Multiple housing projects, including a mixed-use development, multi-unit developments and affordable housing units are in various stages of planning at the moment, Horton said.
The mixed-use development is an affordable housing project spearheaded by nonprofit Christian Church Homes and will be along Dinuba Avenue next to Heritage Self Storage. Horton said that project is currently underway, as the nonprofit recently secured the last bit of financing it needed.
At 601 E. 11th St., affordable housing development Guardian Village is slightly ahead of schedule, Horton said. Self-Help Enterprises is working on the project, which will provide 48 apartments on just a few acres of a state “excess site.”
Horton said he really likes what’s happening with housing developments in Reedley right now, because there are options for everyone.
“That allows for our population, no matter what end of the (economic) spectrum they are on, no matter where they tend to land on that scale, (to know) there’s housing that will be available for them here in the city of Reedley,” Horton said.
Chains adding first, second locations
A gas station and convenience store will come online in the next few months, as a Circle K on Manning Avenue pops up.
Yanez Construction is ahead of schedule in building the Circle K at 1577 E. Manning Ave., adding another gas and convenience option to a busy area, Horton said.
Commercial construction company Miller Pacific, Inc. has broken ground on a Burger King coming to Reedley, located at the southwest corner of Manning Avenue and Sunset Ave. Representatives from Miller Pacific said construction should finish by the end of December.
A second Reedley Starbucks will also be on the way soon, Horton said. It will be going into the Reedley Shopping Center where the Brooks Ranch Restaurant used to be. Horton said that once the permitting process is complete, the Brooks Ranch building will be demolished to make way for the new Starbucks.
“The folks that have a lot of memories concerning the time they’ve had inside of Brooks Ranch, pretty soon won’t have that building to look at,” Horton said.
The 58-acre area off East Manning Avenue that Reedley annexed from Fresno County will also see development in the coming months, including national chains moving into the area. Horton said Reedley will get its very own Dutch Bros., three to four “quick service restaurants” and a Mister Car Wash.
Horton said residential development has helped drive this commercial development, as national chains and even mom-and-pop stores look at the number of rooftops a city has when exploring what their customer base could look like, which adds to determinations about the viability of a business.
