Real Estate Analysis and Commentary in Victorville

City Improved Assets

Veteran Memorial - 15451 7^th Street

This statute was erected in 1996 by the City of Victorville. The property consists of a six-sided memorial in an open courtyard. The memorial/courtyard provides a resting place for pedestrians in this district.

 

Fire Museum – 15620 8^th Street

This building is not associated with the Victorville Fire Department. Founded in 2000, the museum contains artifacts and memorabilia related to fire heritage and the evolution of fighting fires. It is open to the public on Saturdays from 9 AM to noon.

 

Hi-Desert Performing Arts Center – 15615 8^th Street

This structure was built as a USO Club in 1941, servicing the local military until 1947 at which point it was disbanded and sold to the city. This building used by the city as a community center. In 1992 the building was designated as a historical landmark. The cultural arts center opened in 1998 and offered live performances until the building was damaged by fire. In 2024, the center was scheduled to reopen. Events include:

 

• Live theater.
• Art exhibits.
• Art workshops.
• Concerts.

 

Old School and Park – 15476 6^th Street

Built in 1992, this property was used by the school district until 1960 at which time it closed. In 1983 the City acquired the property and began a rehabilitation which was finished on 07/02/1985. Currently, the property functions as a community cultural center and event venue managed by the city.  The building is available for

 

• Art exhibitions.
• History workshops.
• Community meetings.

   

  It may also be rented for:

   

• Wedding receptions.
• Corporate retreats/conferences.
• Dance and yoga classes.

 

The building is available for:

 

• Art exhibits.
• History workshops.
• Community meetings.
• Small scale performances.

   

  The property can be leased for:

   

• Wedding receptions.
• Corporate retreats and conferences.
• Dance and yoga classes.

 

Parking Lot/Mormon Springs Monument – Intersection of 8^th and C Street

A relatively small parking lot in near proximity to the Performing Arts Center and Fire Museum. It is one block to the east of Seventh Street. The parking lot will need repair and updating.

 

The Mormon Springs Monument is located on the southeastern corner of the lot. Erected in 1998, it provides a brief history of the importance of fresh water to 19^th century travelers through the desert.

 

Route 66 Archway Spans 7^th Street at the Intersection of 7^th and D Street

Spanning the intersection of Seventh Street and D Street, it signals the entry to Old Town Village. The archway is lighted with energy efficient LEDs and visually brands the district as a Route 66 landmark. The city views the archway as a complement to its Commercial Façade Improvement Program, which is designed to enhance the street appeal to existing commercial properties along Route 66.

 

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%

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: 
?

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.