Futures Institute looks at Valley's industrial park space

by John Wetzel

A study by the Central California Futures Institute shows that the major cities of the Central Valley are not all equal when it comes to available industrial space.

Dr. Scott Houser, assistant professor of economics at Fresno State, conducted the study that identified total acreage and occupancy levels of industrial parks in seven Valley cities - Stockton, Modesto, Manteca, Merced, Fresno, Visalia and Bakersfield.

"There are over 15,000 acres of industrial park space in the seven cities we studied and half of that space is already in use," Houser said.

Among the cities in the study, Fresno and Merced have the least vacant space: Fresno has only 20 percent while Modesto has none. Merced and Bakersfield have the most vacant space, 65 percent and 67 percent, respectively.

"One of the most striking findings of this study is that there is no correlation between total acreage of business and industrial parks and a city's population," Houser said. "If acres of park space per person is important, and I think it is a good indicator, then some Valley cities are much better positioned for growth than others."

Houser noted that Fresno would have to increase its developed acreage 49 percent to match the median value of per capita acreage for the seven cities. According to the study, Fresno currently plans to add four new indus-trial parks with a combined acreage of 1,055.

"There probably is no absolute number of acres a community should have for industrial park space, but on the other hand, having too little space or space in the wrong place can clearly impact a community's ability to grow," Houser said.

The study did not look at business and industrial parks located outside of city boundaries.

John Wetzel is the executive director of the Central California Futures Institute.