Palmdale Power Plant moves forward in 2008

According to the Antelope Valley Press, October 11, 2008, the Palmdale’s official application for certification for a 570-megawatt hybrid power plant to the California Energy Commission was deemed "data adequate" by the commission Wednesday, starting a review period of roughly one year for the city's request for a permit to build the $1 billion facility.

The city is seeking to build the plant adjacent to Air Force Plant 42. Once the energy commission approves the project; it will take 27 to 30 months to construct. The company anticipates the plant will begin providing power in summer 2012. The plant is proposed for 300 acres south of Columbia Way (Avenue M) and east of Sierra Highway, adjoining Air Force Plant 42. The site is part of 615 acres. The plant is intended to provide lower-cost power to major Antelope Valley employers such as Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, which are at a disadvantage in competing with plants in other states where electricity prices are lower than in California.” This is more good news and the next step toward our goal of building a much-needed power plant here in the Antelope Valley," City Manager Steve Williams said.

"The demand for electricity will only continue to rise in the years ahead, and we look forward to meeting that demand with our hybrid power plant.” The plant will have two gas turbines, essentially giant jet engines that will create heat of 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit, which will be used to turn water into steam. The plant is called a "hybrid" because it will have 250 acres devoted to a solar energy operation that will use rows of curved mirrors that track the sun to create steam to power a turbine.” This power plant will make the Antelope Valley more competitive and attractive to business and industry."

 

 

Lancaster redevelopment plan approved in 2008

According to the Antelope Valley Press, September 24, 2008, the Lancaster City Council approved a specific plan detailing development plans for the city's downtown. The plan will govern the development of 140 acres bounded generally by Kettering Street on the north, 10th Street West on the west and the Union Pacific Railroad tracks on the east.

Between 10th Street West and Date Avenue, Milling Street is the southern boundary, while New Highway. The overall plan area includes seven smaller planning districts, notably:

The Boulevard District, intended to feature a variety of entertainment, retail, service and residential venues in old and new buildings on both sides of Lancaster Boulevard between Date and Fern Avenues.

The Cedar Avenue Arts District, intended to feature pedestrian walkways and public areas amid old and new buildings that house a community theater; artists lofts, studios and manufacturing outlets, and retail outlets and offices in an area bounded by Lancaster Boulevard, Beech and Date avenues and Milling Street.

The Commerce District, intended to feature financial services, professional offices and retail and residential units in an area along both sides of Lancaster Boulevard between Fern and Genoa avenues and extending north to Kettering Street.
The Civic Village District, intended to feature a public park, schools, and single- and multi-family residential units in the area bounded by Lancaster Boulevard, Kettering Street, Sierra Highway and Fern Avenue.

The Neighborhood Office District, intended to feature detached homes and small offices in converted homes and other buildings that would provide a transition between downtown and existing residences on the south side of the specific-plan area.

The Transit District, intended to feature pedestrian walkways that connect the Metrolink train station on the east side of Sierra Highway with high-density residential, mixed-use commercial and public parking on the west side of Sierra Highway between Lancaster Boulevard, Beech Avenue and Milling Street.

The Gateway District, intended to feature office and retail outlets in the area where Lancaster Boulevard carries traffic into downtown from residential areas west of 10th Street West.

According to a draft summary in the specific plan, the area currently includes 640,020 square feet of office and public facility space, 475,879 square feet of retail and service space and 252 single- and multi-family living units.

By 2030, the area is expected to include 973,956 square feet of office and public-facility space, 924,848 square feet of retail and service space and 3,525 single- and multi-family living units. City officials hope to turn the downtown area into an attractive environment that draws residents to the central core of the city.

 

 

Retail influx coming to Palmdale's east side in 2008

According to the Antelope Valley Press, April 24, 2008,  Palmdale's east side is seeing a major influx of retail development with work on the Park Plaza center wrapping up the massive 47th Street Pavilion, and a neighborhood shopping center in the works for Avenue S and 40th Street East.

One of the region's most anticipated developments is the 523,000-square-foot 47th Street Pavilion shopping center, which will feature a SuperTarget store and a Home Depot. The Home Depot is tentatively slated to open June 5; Target is scheduled to open July 27, said Mark McGaughey, first vice president of CB Richard Ellis, the leasing agent for the center.

Staples, a Ross Dress for Less, a PetSmart, Bath and Body Works, Famous Footwear and Cold Stone Creamery are among the stores planned for the center.” By Christmas, the lion's share of the center will be open for business," McGaughey said the center will not only serve eastside Palmdale residents, but also will draw as many as 20,000 other shoppers from communities outside city limits, such as Lake Los Angeles.” The east side has been a stepchild," McGaughey said. "Hopefully this will foster more development."

"First of all, we've (had) no real shopping out here," Dino said. "I'm just elated developers have finally realized there is a need for shopping here. I think it'll be very successful.” Also on the horizon is a 12-acre neighborhood shopping center at Avenue S and 40th Street East, catty-cornered from the city's Dry Town Water Park. Plans for the center call for a Fresh & Easy market, a 24-Hour Fitness center, and a Longs Drugs.

 

 

 

The Antelope Valley expands over two counties, Los Angeles and Kern. The Antelope Valley offers affordable housing within a reasonable drive from Los Angeles and other metropolitan areas, making it an affordable option for those that get priced out of the expensive housing markets of Los Angeles, San Diego and Orange Counties. The Antelope Valley consists primarily of the cities/communities of Palmdale, Lancaster, Rosamond, Mojave, California City and Ridgecrest. National homebuilders have built huge housing developments in this area, which have contributed to the Antelope Valley being one of the strongest housing markets in the nation. Because of all the billion dollar aerospace companies in this region, the Antelope Valley has been called "Aerospace Valley." The Space Shuttle was built in Palmdale, and has landed at Edward's Air Force Base. Lockheed-Martin, Northrop-Grumman, Rockwell and BAE Systems continue to win huge government defense contracts, which translate into jobs, housing and retail sales. The current population of the Antelope Valley has already swelled to over 446,000 residents with no slow down in sight. This population surge has brought many large shopping malls to the region that anchors national department stores. For example, the Antelope Valley Mall is home to Dillards, Harris Gottchalks, JC Penny, Mervyn's, Sears, and many other national retail chains. Across the street is the Palmdale Promenade that is home to Wal-Mart and Home Depot.

According to the Antelope Valley Board of Trade Report in February 2007, the Antelope Valley population is projected to increase from 446,686 to 485,686 between 2006 and 2011.

 

 

Palmdale is poised to become a major retail hub for the Antelope Valley in 2008

According to the L.A. Daily News, February 7, 2007, a SuperTarget, PetSmart and Staples will be among the stores in the first phase of what will be among the Antelope Valley’s largest shopping centers. These first stores at Palmdale Gateway are slated to be completed by Oct.14, 2007. A second phase, which will include a Home Depot, will be finished in spring 2008, Brian Hopkins, vice president and director of development for Hopkins Real Estate Group, said at Wednesday morning's groundbreaking ceremony. The project is one of several that could turn 47th Street East into a major retail corridor much in the same manner as 10th Street West is on Palmdale's west side. "The whole 47th Street corridor is really popping," Hopkins said. "Now there are enough people to support retail on the east side of town."

The Palmdale Gateway is being touted as the east side's largest retail center. It is project to have 522,760 square feet of retail space. The two largest tenants will be the Target store, at 172,815 square feet, and the 107,000-square-foot Home Depot. At build-out, the center is expected to employ more than 1,000.

In addition, three other shopping centers are proposed for the Avenue R intersection: a center anchored by a Rite Aid drug store on the southeast corner; a Vallarta supermarket on the northeast corner; and a small center with a Tom's hamburger restaurant on the southwest corner. Moreover, the 47th Street corridor at Avenue S, a shopping center is under construction that will add more than 63,000 square feet of retail and office space when complete. That project will include a Chili's restaurant, a Starbucks and a Subway sandwich shop.

 

Rosamond is located just 11 miles north of Lancaster in the Antelope Valley

Rosamond is located 11 miles north of Lancaster in Kern County, just north of Ave A, the Los Angeles-Kern County border. It is a community with some impressive residential and commercial developments. The Town of Rosamond experiences all 4 seasons.

 

 

 

Rosamond's population is projected to double in the next 10 years

According to the Antelope Valley Press, October 30, 2005, experts say Rosamond's population is going to double in the next 10 years. With that in mind, members of the Rosamond Community Services District (“RCSD”) decided they needed to come up with a long-term plan for the development of parks in the area. In August 2005, the RCSD hired a consulting firm. Then they put together a committee of community members to work on the project. They posed some hypothetical questions: What kind of parks do they want? Baseball fields? What equipment do they want in the parks?

This plan is important because Rosamond has some catching up to do, said Roy Imai, a senior project manager for Foothill Associates, the consulting firm that the RCSD hired a couple months ago. After mapping out the community's resources, Imai said Rosamond's population could be 40,000 by 2015. The community needs a master plan, Imai said, to work with developers to accommodate that population boom.

The master plan could help Rosamond get park funding from another source as well. Once it has been adopted by the RCSD, the organization will present the plan to Kern County along with a budget request. For example, to prepare for development, land needs to be acquired and set aside for parks and recreation facilities. After the plan is adopted, developers will have to adhere to building standards outlined in the plan. They may also have to pay an "impact fee" to help offset the cost of park construction in the area.

 

 

Rosamond has impressive housing developments

High profile homebuilders, such as Barratt Homes and Kaufman & Broad, have built impressive homes in Rosamond. Kaufman & Broad developed Westpark, which is a master planned community of about 600 homes on 7000 square foot lots. Westpark has a junior high school and a park, and is located on 40th St West; south of Rosamond Blvd. Homes in Westpark sell in the $200,000 range.

Rosamond also has the Tropico housing development and custom homes in the central area of town; west of town, and estate sized country homes on large acreage parcels. Skypark is one of the most interesting housing developments in Rosamond. Rosamond Skypark was developed in 1986 as a fly-in community with upscale homes on half-acre lots, featuring backyard airplane hangars and taxiway connections to the Rosamond Airport. Homes in Skypark sell for about $500,000. Rosamond Airport has a surfaced 3,600-foot runway with a self-service gas station for airplanes.

 

 

Kern County approves the 600-acre, 1201-unit Copa de Oro housing development and golf course in Rosamond

According to the Antelope Valley Press, May 10, 2004, the largest housing development ever to hit Rosamond should soon be under way. The 1,201-unit Copa de Oro, which will span more than 600 acres between Avenue A and Gaskell Road and between 110th and 120th streets west, was approved unanimously by the Kern County Board of Supervisors on April 27, 2004. An 18-hole golf course, part of the Copa de Oro community, was the focus of much of the concern over how much water would be required to maintain it. After working with developer R.L. Abbott, the two parties came to an agreement last fall that a mitigated negative declaration would be sufficient to determine the impact on present and future water supply as growth continues in the district, DeLano said. The development will have its own service district, treating its own sewage and providing its own water or purchasing it from the Delta near Sacramento. Although the district has just begun the Local Agency Formation Commission process to extend its boundaries to 110th Street West, it still covers about 33 square-miles, extending to 60th Street West. At completion, the project would reinforce the Rosamond area's position as Southeast Kern's most populous community. Lancaster is located approximately 11 miles south of Rosamond and already has a population today of over 120,000 and growing. Lancaster can grow to the east and to the west, but Rosamond can’t grow too far to the east, because that’s where Edward’ s Air Force Base begins. According to this article, the Copa de Oro development is expected to increase the Rosamond area's population from about 18,000 residents to about 22,500, which would be a 25% increase. With the strong demand for affordable housing in the Antelope Valley, what could Rosamond’s population grow to in the next 10 years?

 

Retail development has flourished in Rosamond

This explosive residential growth has spurred commercial development. In the early 1990's Albertson's Market agreed to be the anchor tenant in a new shopping center, just west of the 14 Freeway. Since that time, Rite Aid and Radio Shack have opened locations also. Antelope Valley Bank has also located in Rosamond. As more and more affordable housing developments come to Rosamond, the need for expanded retail and commercial development may be seen in Rosamond.

 

 

 

 

 

Rosamond is the gateway to Edward's Air Force Base

Rosamond is often referred to as the Gateway to Edward's Air Force Base. This close proximity to Edward’s has resulted in some service men living off base in Rosamond. This has generated new housing construction. Edward’s hosts an annual Air Show that attracts about 200,000 to 300,000 people annually. During the base closures of the 1990's, Edward’s Air Force Base actually grew in population from absorbing other base closures. Edward’s Air Force Base has an approximate civilian and military daytime work force of 20,600 that has a combined annual payroll of about $500 million, making it one of the largest employers in the High Desert. Due to its enormous 530 square mile size, location, weather (360 flying days per year), and accessibility to aerospace contractors (in Palmdale), EAFB is a vital link in the testing of the nation's next generation of aircraft and weapon systems. The Jet Propulsion Lab, now called the Astronautics Lab, is located in the southeastern corner of EAFB. Edward's Air Force Base is where the Space Shuttle has been launched, and the home of NASA and a myriad of private companies and industries. Edward’s encompasses portions of San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Kern Counties. No doubt that the proximity of Rosamond to such a Goliath as Edward’s Air Force Base could only help the growth of this town in the 21st Century.

 

 

Rosamond has modern schools, parks and a modern library

There are currently four schools in the Rosamond area that include 2 elementary schools, one middle school and one high school. Rosamond takes great pride in its Rosamond High School that is a modern School that can boast about having a first rate athletic field. These schools in the Rosamond area are part of the Southern Kern Unified School District. Rosamond’s College Students can attend the Antelope Valley College that is located about 11 miles away in Lancaster, and now provides some 4-year courses of study through Cal State University Bakersfield. The Antelope Valley College has a student enrollment of over 12,000. These schools can be a catalyst for new home construction for many families that are interested in locating in the Rosamond area. Rosamond has two public parks, one with a pool, and another that provides fields for sports activities. The parks include play equipment for children and picnic areas. The Rosamond Library shown above is also important for new families with school age children.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rosamond's Willow Springs International Raceway

Rosamond is also famous for its Willow Springs International Raceway that is located to the north of Rosamond Blvd on Raceway Lane that is located between 70th St. West and 80th St. West. It holds all types of races, including various types of stock cars; formula cars and can attract about 25,000 people in a weekend. The Raceway has four tracks that would permit 4 different events to occur at the same time.

 

 

The availability of water is a key factor in the growth of Rosamond and Kern County

The Antelope Valley East Kern Water Agency (AVEK) gets its water from the California Aqueduct. The California Aqueduct was built at a cost of $3.7 billion. The Aqueduct provides supplemental water to approximately 20 million Californians and about 660,000 acres of irrigated farmland, according to the California Department of Water Resources. Twenty-two State Water Projects (SWP) dams and reservoirs are used to capture and store run-off from Northern California Mountains and Valleys. The bulk of the water imported by AVEK is treated and distributed to customers throughout its service area through the Domestic-Agricultural Water Network (DAWN) Project facilities. A $71 million bond issue has been completely repaid, which financed the development of the DAWN Project. The Dawn Project consists of more than 100 miles of water distribution pipelines; four Water Treatment Plants; and four 8 million gallon water storage reservoirs near Rosamond and Mojave. According to the Antelope Valley-East Kern Water Agency Website, the Rosamond Water Treatment Plant was established to support the needs of consumers in southeastern Kern County, an area that includes Rosamond and Mojave.

 

 

Mojave is home to 140 companies that employ over 1300 people at the Mojave Airport

Mojave is located about 13 miles to the north of Rosamond and 24 miles to the north of Lancaster. It is situated at the junction of California Highways 14 and 58 that already have a large traffic count. Mojave is considered a gateway to the fertile San Joaquin Valley, the popular ski resorts of Mammoth, the Eastern Sierras, Las Vegas and the Los Angeles Basin. Mojave is also home to the Mojave Airport. The Mojave Airport is home to 140 companies that employ over 1300 people, making it one of southeastern Kern County’s largest employment centers. The Mojave Airport offers cutting edge aviation, high-tech manufacturing and light industrial enterprises at one of Southern California's best transportation hubs. Mojave is well located for industry, offering both the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway and the Union Pacific Railway that serve the rail transportation requirements of companies and mining operations located in the Mojave area.

 

 

The Mojave Airport's list of 140 companies includes the following firms:

• Avtel Services, Inc.
• Scaled Composites
• Mojo Jets
• National Test Pilot School
• Flight Research
• XCOR
• Progress Rail Services
• HPE Flight Control Systems
• HPE High Plains Engineering
• Derringer Aircraft Company
• Mercy Air
• Scroggins Aviation
• Interorbital Space Systems
• Translunar Research
• Fiberset
• ASB Avionics
• Tellair International
• Space Launch Corporation
• Pocket Rocket Society
• Derringer Aircraft Company
• EVA
• Mellor Printing
• BAE Systems

 

 

Edison to spend $1.8 Billion in Mojave in massive renewable energy power project in 2008

According to the Antelope Valley Press, March 8, 2008, the biggest transmission project for renewable energy in the nation is finally set for its first leg of construction in Mojave. Officials from Southern California Edison, the state Public Utilities Commission, the state Independent System Operator, government representatives and private energy business leaders met Friday morning beside Oak Creek Road west of Mojave for a groundbreaking ceremony to kick off the first phase of the Tehachapi Renewable Transmission Project.

By the time the entire project is complete, the lines will be able to carry up to 4,500 megawatts to light Southern California homes and businesses, company officials said. One megawatt can power roughly 650 average homes. "So Cal Edison is the first utility in the U.S. to commit to renewable resources," said Alan Fohrer, Edisons's chairman and chief executive officer. "The Tehachapi line is the first transmission line in the U.S. primarily dedicated to renewable resources."

PUC has approved the first three segments of the project. Once completed, that phase will have the capacity to carry 700 megawatts of electricity from Tehachapi- and Mojave-area wind farms. A new 25.6-mile, 500,000-volt transmission line will connect SCE's existing Antelope substation with the new Windhub substation and a new 9.6-mile, 220,000-volt transmission line will connect the Windhub and Highwind substations.

Phase two of the $1.8 billion project consists of segments four through 11, expected to be approved sometime in mid-2008, Edison officials said. Those transmission lines will carry electrical power from wind farms in Tehachapi to Ontario and Chino substations in San Bernardino County and to the Mira Loma substation at the Riverside-San Bernardino county line.

Groundbreaking "marks the initial build out of a much larger plan that will allow the state to tap into a resource of renewable energy (which) moves California closer to its energy goals." Although state law requires electric companies to obtain 20% of their power from a renewable energy source such as wind or solar by 2017, the reliance on those resources goes beyond complying with the law. The CEO of the ISO, which manages California's power grid, said, "this is the fastest ever I have seen a project of this kind going through the process and getting the green light.”

 

 

Virgin Galactic gets $30 million in deposits for space travel for spaceships built in Mojave in 2008

According to Space.com, January 23, 2008, future thrill-seekers will ride a sleek spacecraft berthed under a massive, twin-boom mother ship to the fringe of space in a design unveiled Wednesday by Virgin Galactic. Virgin Galactic is offering tickets aboard SpaceShipTwo for an initial price of about $200,000, though Richard Branson said the cost is expected to drop after the first five years of operations. The space tourism firm plans to eventual launch flights out of a terminal at New Mexico's Spaceport America, with additional trips through the aurora borealis to be staged from Kiruna, Sweden. To date, Virgin Galactic has about 200 assured passengers for future flights, $30 million in deposits and about 85,000 registrations from customers interested in flying aboard SpaceShipTwo.

Mojave, Calif.-based Scaled has completed 60 percent of the first SpaceShipTwo, and this firm is building at least five of the suborbital vehicles - and two WhiteKnightTwo carriers - for Virgin Galactic. "This is not a small program by any stretch of the imagination," said Rutan, adding that his firm hopes to build at least 40 SpaceShipTwos and 15 carrier craft over the next 12 years. Each spacecraft is designed to fly twice a day, with their WhiteKnightTwo carriers capable of up to four daily launches, Rutan said. Over 12 years, more than 100,000 people could fly to suborbital space aboard the vehicles, he added.

 

 

Mojave industrial center will be a 2.5 million square foot warehouse distribution facility

According to the Antelope Valley Press, December 10, 2007, Jack Vander Woude, owner, principal and sole employee of The Tahiti Group, will develop a 2.5-million-square-foot warehouse-distribution facility in Mojave in unincorporated Kern County. The Mojave Industrial Center will consist of three buildings - of 1.3 million square feet, 938,600 square feet and 240,000 square feet - near the intersection of Highways 14 and 58. The site, which is now open space, is near the Mojave Air and Space Port, and next to Union Pacific Railroad right-of- way. Ultimately, the project could accommodate up to 300 jobs, Vander Woude said.

Being close to railroad tracks - the site is also near Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway's right-of-way - is crucial to the project's success, because rail lines make the site easier to reach from the ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach and San Pedro, Vander Woude said. The site has access to basic utilities - including water, sewage and electricity - because it's near a small grocery-anchored shopping center. The Mojave Water District, Southern California Edison and Sempra Natural Gas all service the site, Vander Woude said. "From an environmental standpoint it's absolutely clean," Vander Woude said.

All of the buildings will be for lease, though Vander Woude said he will consider selling any of the structures at a reasonable price. The first phase of Mojave Industrial Center is expected to break ground in about one year, with construction to take about six months. Further development will depend on how quickly the first phase leases, Vander Woude said.

Larger warehouse- distribution projects are likely to be developed in Kern and Imperial counties as large parcels of land become scarcer and expensive, Inland Empire economist, John Husing said.

 

 

Mojave poised for growth in 2007

According to the Antelope Valley Press, February 23, 2007, Mojave is primed for economic growth, a fact that needs to be broadcast to the larger business community, the new president and CEO of the Kern Economic Development Corporation said Thursday. Richard Chapman spoke to the Mojave Chamber of Commerce, painting a rosy picture of the opportunities for their area. "We're starting to get signs Mojave is ready to grow," Chapman said. "You are ahead of the curve." The Kern County EDC is a public-private partnership tasked with attracting new businesses and retaining existing ones throughout the county. A large amount of industry is moving out of the Los Angeles basin, and Mojave should take advantage of its proximity to their former locale to attract these industries, he said.
Mojave and its surrounding area have the necessary infrastructure in place to attract businesses, "shovel-ready dirt," Chapman said. What it lacks, however, is vacant office space and industrial facilities ready for use. The unmet demand for industrial space is as much as 7 million square feet. "If you build it, they will come," he said.
Mojave also has the logistical support businesses look for as means to distribute their products. With two major rail lines, major highway access and an airport capable of handling even the largest airplanes, Mojave is in a position to be a distribution hub.
Chapman cited the Mojave Air and Space Port as an example of the vibrant aerospace economy in the area. "The companies that are coming out of the spaceport are phenomenal," he said. "Aerospace is a sexy industry. You guys have something people are interested in."

 

 

California city is the 3rd largest city in California, and the fastest growing city in the Antelope Valley

 

According to the Antelope Valley Press, May 2, 2007, California City outgrew all but 11 cities in California in 2006, outpacing Lancaster and Palmdale, and grew 8.9% in 2006, from 12,056 to 13,123, making it the California’s 12th fastest-growing municipality, according to the California Department of Finance. California City now ranks as the fastest growing city in the Antelope Valley.

California City lies north of Mojave and south of Ridgecrest in the Kern County portion of the Antelope Valley. The California City limits run east to Highway 395, south to Highway 58 and west to the 14 Freeway. California City is the third largest city in California, encompassing 204 square miles or 130,200 acres. It has an elevation of approximately 2,400 feet above sea level. California City has been undergoing significant change. More people are moving into California City, because they have discovered affordable housing prices, excellent weather, and clean air, good schools, safe streets, shopping, a Central Park and a professionally designed PGA 18-hole golf course.

California City also has an evolving and diverse business base. One of the more recent additions is the $60 million, 4300-acre Hyundai KIA Proving Grounds, which recently opened in California City. The Proving Grounds include a 6.4-mile oval track, a 2 million square-foot Vehicle Dynamics Area (VDA), a 2.75-mile winding track, a 3.3-mile hill road, and various special surface roads constructed to duplicate U.S. highways. The facility also includes a 30,000 square-foot office complex for its staff members. “The Hyundai-Kia Motors California Proving Grounds will ensure that Hyundai and Kia continue to develop the highest quality vehicles,” said Dong Jin Kim, Vice Chairman of Hyundai Motor Company. “Hyundai and Kia are committed to the U.S., and this facility will help us design vehicles that appeal to consumers in this market as well as worldwide.”

Other recent additions to California City include a McDonald’s restaurant, a Rite Aid store, and a planned 40-acre industrial park near the California City Municipal Airport. The City owns and runs the California City Airport, which contains a 6,030-foot lighted runway with terminal facilities and a restaurant. The Airport also has 20,000 sq. ft. of privately owned industrial buildings.

According to the Antelope Valley Press, June 16, 2005, City leaders and developers say they were well received recently at the International Council of Shopping Centers annual conference in Las Vegas. "We got some good leads" on businesses that may be interested in locating in the city, he said. One of those making a push to bring more businesses to California City is San Diego-based developer Michael Ellison, who is working on bringing his Ellison Plaza shopping center to fruition in California City. Ground has been broken on one cornerstone of the plaza, the Microtel Inns and Suites Hotel. Future plans for the center include a grocery store, retail stores, restaurants, a bowling alley and gas station.

 

 

The City of Ridgecrest already has 27,000 residents

The city of Ridgecrest is in the Kern County portion of the Antelope Valley, and has a population of about 27,000 residents. It encompasses about 21 square miles. It is situated about 40 miles north of California City, about 80 miles north of Lancaster, and about 125 miles northeast of Bakersfield. Traveling to all of these nearby urban centers from Ridgecrest is easy, because of the proximity of U.S. Highway 395, Highway 178 and the 14 Freeway.

 

 

 

 

 

The Inyokern Airport serves Ridgecrest, and lies about 8 miles to the west. In a strong indication of the city’s residential growth in recent years, Home Depot arrived in late 2003. Other major retail companies are keeping a close eye on Ridgecrest, and the city’s industrial base continues to expand. Also opening is a new business and technology park to accommodate the city’s growing number of locally grown businesses and defense contractors. The China Lake Naval Air Weapons Division at China Lake further serves Ridgecrest with a large number of armed service personnel who contribute to the consumer base of the city. China Lake is also important to the country’s national defense.

 

 

 

 

The city of Ridgecrest can also take pride in its Ridgecrest Regional Hospital that is a state of the art hospital with plans for major expansion, which include a new cafeteria, a new entrance and lobby, a new Outpatient Services Center, and a 3-story tower that will contain a new surgery suite, ICU/CCU, inpatient beds, and pediatric beds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why is Eastern Kern County growing?

Government Regulations

The answer is prohibitive government regulations and expensive land costs in the larger cities are pushing companies and new residents to the Eastern Kern County region of the Antelope Valley.

In Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego Counties, businesses have to deal with all the requirements of the South Coast Air Quality Management Agency (SCAQMD) and other agencies, where it could take up to 2 years to get a permit to begin development. In Eastern Kern County, businesses can expand with the friendly, cooperative Kern County Air Pollution Control District (APCD) and other government agencies that have a reputation for being very, very pro-business.

 

 

 

 

Affordable Land

 

In Los Angeles, San Diego and Orange Counties, undeveloped land parcels have become very expensive. On the other hand, the Antelope Valley communities of Eastern Kern County offer reasonably priced land in a dynamic growing region.