Real Estate Analysis and Commentary in Victorville

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: 
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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. 


 

August 1, 2025 - Structure of Old Town Village
The Old Town Village district consists of 84.29 acres with the following boundaries:
- North : D Street. 
- South: Forrest Avenue.
- East: Eleventh Street.    West: First Street. 

The existing entry points into the village are:
- D Street (links I-15 to the Village and Route 66 west of I-15). 
- 7th Street (Route 66 running north to south through the district)
- Hesperia Road (at the eastern end of the district). 

Properties that may be leveraged to attract Route 66 visitors are:
1. Route 66 - This is Seventh Street running north to south through the district. An entry arch is located at the junction of D and Seventh Street. 
2. Route 66 Museum - The former Red Rooster Cafe with exhibits of Route 66 and the history of Victorville. Manned by volunteers with free admission. 
3. Lane's Crossing Park - A new addition (2024). This is a fenced open air park with audio visual facilities, fire pit and a caboose. 
4. The High Desert Performing Center - The former USO center, offering live theater performances, musical events, art exhibitions and are classes. 
5. Fire Museum - Opened limited hours, this is an old fire station with historical fire fighting equipment. 
6. Greenspot Motel - Built in 1932 as a motor court motel, this facility offers themed lodging in the district. 
7. Veteran Memorial - Dedicated in 1996, this is an open air courtyard with seating and a memorial to veterans from Victorville. Acts as the central point in the Veteran Day Celebration. 

Historical properties in the district that may be viewed on a walking tour include:
1. The Turner House - a residence built in the late 1880s. 
2. The Old School - Built in the 1920's. 
4. St Joan of Arc Catholic Church - An older church that is central to Old Town. 

Restaurant/Bars found in the district are:
1. Guadalajara Meat Market - Mexican cuisine with indoor dining. 
2.  Valparaiso Mexican Restaurant - A walk-up fast food restaurant.
3. AJ's Bar.  

Specialty Retail include:
1. Wild Goose Vintage & Thrift - Offers vintage clothing and antiques. 
2.Santa Fe Trading Company - Specialty home goods. Additionally there are periodic  live music and art exhibitions. 
3. Sweet Treasures - A specialty skin care store. 
4. Barrel House - A historic building adjacent to the Route 66 Museum that is currently a liquor store and market. 

Currently the following events draw visitor and residents:
1. Christmas Parade along Seventh Street. 
2. HD Market Night - Located in a vacant lot on Seventh Street. 
3. Veteran Day Celebration - Centered at Veteran Memorial. 

Currently, the district has limited tourists outlets and will need significant improvement. The city does recognize that the Route 66 Centennial is a significant event that may result in placing the city as a tourist destination for Route 66 domestic and international visitors and is actively attempting to attract new businesses to the district. 

City Infrastructure and Improvement projects are:
1. Sidewalk repair and improving pedestrian/biking improvements. 
2. A program offering up to $50,000 financial assistance to help buildings meet code standards, ADA compliance and facade improvement (to enhance a Route 66 theme). 
3. Waiving of development impact fees for new businesses in the district. 

Future proposed projects include: 
1. Narrowing of Seventh Street to 2 lanes with on street parking. 
2 A roundabout at Seventh Street and Forrest Avenue (by the Veteran Memorial). 
3. Improving and enhancing the City parking lot at 7th and B Street along with the parking lot at 8th and C Street. 

Funding sources for these projects include:
1. Community Revitalization Investment Agency (CRIA) - increment in value from property tax within the district. 
2. Community Development Block Grants. 
3. General Fund. 

A potential future funding source would come from the formation of Business Improvement District (BID). 

In summary, this district has relatively limited tourist appeal with a significant percentage of vacant land and vacant commercial buildings in need of repair and updating. The city is facing a short time frame (to capitalize on the Route 66 centennial) but is actively attempting to draw retail centers that are needed to draw and keep visitors.
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In the next post I will review land uses by category and percentages that currently exist in the district. 

 Victorville is a city in the High Desert of San Bernardino. The original town site was founded in 1886 with the arrival of the railroad. The founders laid out the town consisting of 200 acres or 0.32 square miles. By 1962 (year of incorporation), the city had grown to 9.7 square miles (6,208 acres) and the population reached 8,110 people. 

Significant events in the time line of Victorville includes:

• 1926 - Route 66 is developed running through Victorville (7th Street). 
• 1937 - Greenspot Motel (a motor-court offering lodging) is built. 
• 1960s to 1970 - I-15 is built bypassing Route 66 and moving the development away from the original townsite. 
• 1963 - Victorville College, Green Tree Motel and Golf Course along with a shopping center is developed moving growth to the south. 
• By the 1980s the original townsite had become blighted. 
• 1998 - The city adopted the Old Town Redevelopment Plan. 
• 2000 - The transit center, a redevelopment project, opens as an intermodal transit center. 
• 2011 - State of California abolished all Redevelopment Agencies resulting in loss of funds for redeveloping Old Town. 
• 2023 - The city establishes a Community Reinvestment and Investment Agency (CRIA) allowed under state law. This act allows for using incremental tax revenue for infrastructure and affordable housing to revitalize blighted areas. 

In future posts, I will review the Old Town Village in terms of existing land uses, potential for development, current conditions and potential funding sources