City zoning and policies will be evaluated in the upcoming Mooney Boulevard Corridor Zoning Study, which recently garnered unanimous approval by the City Council.  A budget of $30,000 was granted for the study which will utilize a planning consultant to work under the management of city staff in order to create a more business-friendly Mooney Boulevard.

Merchants are planning their 2010 strategy as the roadway project nears completion.  “We’re concerned about the economic health of the boulevard and look forward to work in partnership with the City,” explained chair Don Wright at the last Mooney Boulevard Business Association meeting (formerly the Coffee Klatch).  Infill continues to be a primary concern for Mooney retailers as they look to bring more business to the boulevard in the coming year.

With Black Friday securely under their belts, Mooney merchants continue to battle for customer dollars and hoping the “buy local” crusade brings shoppers to the city’s lifeline for their holiday purchases.

On the heels of blazing summer heat, the Chamber and Mooney retailers have joined forces to produce an exclusive holiday awareness campaign designed to lure shoppers to spend their money along the city’s core retail strip.  The goal of this campaign is to re-introduce Mooney Boulevard to local and regional shoppers before they look to other communities to spend their holiday dollars.

What started as a forum between Mooney merchants and Caltrans has evolved into a viable group of business people taking an active role in the future of business on Mooney Boulevard.  We are pleased to announce fellow Coffee Klatch member Don Wright of Wright’s Hallmark will be representing Mooney retailers as the newest member of the General Plan Update Committee.

Mooney merchants were disappointed to hear the latest developments in the $12 million widening project impacting businesses for the second consecutive holiday season.  The City’s role in the widening project involves the intersections of Walnut and Whitendale, a sticky issue for businesses and a lengthy and complex process for city engineers.

 Twenty years from now, Mooney Boulevard could look very different than it does today, possibly resembling the many progressive developments that have popped up all across the nation utilizing mixed-use development.  By this November, Mooney Boulevard will have evolved from a four-lane to a six-lane divided highway that serves as the city’s main sales tax generator and the retail hub for Visalia and the surrounding region.

Once again, Mooney merchants came out in force at our last Coffee Klatch meeting in hopes of banding together to help enhance “the boulevard’s”  image and profitability.

Mooney merchants came out in force at our last Coffee Klatch meeting in hopes of banding together to help business on “the boulevard.”  The Coffee Klatch has expanded to look at specific issues affecting business and ways the Chamber, the City, and retailers alike can work together to come up with a plan that makes sense  to enhance Mooney’s image and profitability.

Finally!  Full-blown construction efforts have resumed on Mooney Boulevard with work in Stage 1C (Sunnyside to Packwood) expected to be completed in the next couple of weeks, at which time work will begin on the north side of the street.