Real Estate Analysis and Commentary in Victorville

These buildings are primarily vacant and do not fit into a clearly defined use. A total of nine properties were discovered in the Old Town Village District and are summarized as follows:

Count	Potential Use
3	Automotive
2	Cultural
2	Mixed Use
1	Restaurant
1	Specialty

The cultural uses are Route 66 Museum (non-profit) and the Unity Building (Catholic Church). The remaining buildings are vacant (78%). Total land area is 3.7 acres or 4.39% of the land area in this district. 

08/07/2025 Automotive Uses

In the heyday of Route 66, this category of land use was common in this district. How it will conform to the uses envisioned by the city in the proposed project remains to be seen. 

Currently, there are 15 properties which may be summarized as follows:

Count	Min GBA	Max GBA	Median GBA	Newest	Oldest	Land Area
15	800	6,700	1,554	2009	1945	189,431

The total Assessed Value (2024) is $5,226,884 with a total tax of $61,741 or 10.45% of the district total. 

Uses found are:
 

Type	Count	Use%
Car Lot:	1	6.67%
Gas/Store:	2	13.33%
Repair:	6	40.00%
Smog:	1	6.67%
Specialty:	1	6.67%
Tire:	4	26.67%
Total::	15	100.00%

08/07/2025 Vacant Buildings

Today, I am taking a break from the technical aspects of the Old Town Village District to discuss vacant buildings I discovered during my tour. Currently, they represent properties in search of a market and offer a chance for multiple uses. While not a comprehensive inventory, I am listing them as opportunities for improving the district. 

1. 15554 6th St - A former restaurant with living quarters. This building is one block to the west of 7th Street. The restaurant has a patio in the front offering a potential of outdoor dining. The restaurant has 24 seat capacity and parking is at the rear accessed by the alley. The living quarters consists of a 1 bedroom/1 bath apartment at the back of the restaurant. 

2. 15624-15626 6th Street - A retail building with a 2 bedroom/1 bath apartment at the rear. This property is to he south of Route 66 museum. 

3. 15632 6th Street - This is the former Tennis & Trophy World building and is directly to the south of Lane's Crossing Park, 

4. 15483-15491 7th Street - A two-story building. This property is currently listed for $650,000 and is being marketed with the potential of the second floor being converted into four residential units with the first floor being commercial (uses envisioned in the specific plan). There is parking along A Street and the rear of the site has the potential for onsite parking. The property is partially leased (month to month) and the listing reports $38,400 gross income. 

5. 16856 C Street - The former Old Rancho Theater that opened in 1959 and closed in 1984. It is my understanding that the building is a shell and will require extensive work. 

6. 17053 D Street - A smaller building with the potential of having two units. It is located on a small site with limited onsite parking. 

7. 15591-15595 7th Street - Currently configured as a three-unit office building. 

8. 16789 D Street - A former convenience store directly to the west of the Barrel House. It was on the market as having a potential for being converted into a restaurant. 

9. 15557-15565 7th Street - A three-unit building with the exterior having been updated bu the interior is reported as being a shell. An alley is behind the building. 

10. 15564 7th Street - Currently boarded, this building has the potential for two units. 

11. 15578-15582 7th Street - Currently boarded, this building has the potential for two units. 

12. 15614 8th Street - Next to the Fire Museum. An older listing indicates this building has mulip0le office spaces with a warehouse/training center at the rear. 

It will be interesting to take a tour of this area in the future and see if these properties are converted into a viable economic use

August 5, 2025 - Apartment Sector in Victorville Old Town Village

From a land-planning view, duplexes, triplexes, quadruplex and apartment complexes maximizes land-use efficiency and reduces sprawl. They help to create a customer base for shops, restaurants, and services by generating foot traffic throughout the day and evening. 

This property types concentrates more people into a smaller foot print. They can integrate more smoothly with mixed-uses allowing for retail, office and services to co-exist with housing units. This use allows for more housing per acre making every dollar of land more productive This also allows for reducing the need for new roads and utilities infrastructure. 

This type of housing accommodates:
1. Single people.
2. Couples without children.
3.. Small families.
4. Empty nesters.
5. Young adults who can not yet afford a house.
6. Lower housing costs options for nomadic or gig-economy workers.

This sector will typically have a higher turnover rate (30%-50%) annually in an urban rental market. 

The following is a summary of what exists in this district 
 

Type	Count	Units	Total GBA	Avg Unit	Newest	Oldest
Apartments:	10	65	37,002	569	1981	1940
Duplex:	16	32	19,277	602	1979	1900
Triplex:	14	42	17,545	418	1956	1920
Quadplex:	6	24	10,725	447	1966	1922
Total:	46	163	84549	519

Construction year ranges from 1900 to 1981 and the average unit size ranges from 418 to 602 square feet. None of these properties consist of mixed-use. 

Land density per unit ranges from 2,119 square feet to 3,187 square feet with an overall density of 2,670 square feet. Total land area is 9.99 acres. 

Existing Assessed Values = $12,392,299 with a tax amount of $137,432 or 1.11% of the assessed value. While this appears to be a significant amount it must be pointed out that only 5.1% (approximately) of the taxes go to the city with approximately 7.23% going to the county or approximately $16,973 (if the County contributes) could by used by the CRIA for projects. 

Discussion
There is vacant land in this district that could be utilized for developing additional living units. This may included mixed-use developments, age restricted (assisted living), affordable housing units, and market units. It will be interesting to follow the direction the City of Victorville chooses to follow regarding this land-use sector



    
 

August 2, 2025 Land Uses and Density in the Old Town Village Victorville

For this portion of the analysis the land area was segmented into existing land uses and a numerical count of the units were calculated. My initial findings are summarized in the following table: 
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Use	Land Area	No. Unit
Apartment:	438,804	163
Automotive:	189,431	15
City Owned:	474,965	37
Commercial:	161,016	9
Industrial:	71,000	4
Land:	696,266	58
Misc.:	151,473	7
Motel:	35,500	42
Offices:	118,170	9
Religion:	83,271	7
Restaurant:	27,550	3
Retail:	184,038	40
School District:	114,818	4
Single Family:	925,350	132
Total	84.29 ac	521

The top five (74.21%) of uses by land area are:  

Use	Acreage	%/Total
Single Family:	21.24	25.20%
Land:	15.98	18.96%
City Owned:	10.90	12.94%
Apartment:	10.07	11.95%
Automotive:	4.35	5.16%

The bottom five (9.05%) of uses by land area are: 

Use	Acreage	%Total
School District:	2.64	3.13%
Religion:	1.91	2.27%
Industrial:	1.63	1.93%
Motel:	0.81	0.97%
Restaurant:	0.63	0.75%

Land uses (12.62%) of interest to businesses, investors and potential developers include:  

Use of Interest	Acreage	%Total
Retail:	4.22	5.01%
Offices:	2.71	3.22%
Commercial:	3.70	4.39%

To further refine these uses it is necessary to consider the total vacant land area within this district. This component consists of privately and publicly owned land (27.62%). The city owns 10.90 acres; however, 3.37 acres is improved (High Desert Performing Art Center, Fire Museum, Parking Lot, Old School/Park, and Veteran Memorial) leaving 7.53 acre that has been land banked for future use. There is 15.98 acres that is privately owned and could be developed. The privately owned land consists of 12,005 square feet on average and will likely require acquisition of adjoining properties prior to development. The city owned land is primarily east of 7th Street and west of Hesperia Road and consists of multiple adjoining parcels that are readily available for development without the cost of additional property acquisition. 

Land densities of the more significant land uses found in the district  are summarized in the following chart. NOTE: The second column is the land density of the use identified, and the third column is the additional units of that use if all of the vacant land was developed with that specific use using the existing density of that use. 

Use	Current Density	Potential Units
Commercial:	17,891	56.69
Offices:	13,130	77.25
Automotive:	12,629	80.31
Restaurant::	9,183	110.45
Single Family:	7,010	144.68
Retail:	4,601	220.44
Industrial:	4437.5	228.56
Apartment:	2,692	376.76
Motel:	845	1,199.96

A last note on density - It must be recognized that the city is interested in using a higher land use density which may include condominiums, high density housing (both vertically and by mixed use) Future development may result in a high volume of improved units as developers and the city explore potential for land use development. 

My next post will explore the current level of property taxation available to the city within this district coupled with potential increase by using the 25-year average sale of properties.