Chowchilla, California

The Rancho Calera project is a master-planned community in the City of Chowchilla. The project site is 576 acres and consists of 2,042 single-family homes, 35 acres of commercial property, a one-acre safety facility, and 77 acres of park/open space. Project amenities feature an elaborate system of parks and walking trials with connections to many parts of the community. Other community elements include a number of water features, lakes, sports and neighborhood parks, as well as an elementary school, middle school, and community center. Chowchilla’s tax base is mostly residential. “We are working on the rooftops to get the retail over here,” Pruett explains. “The problem is there’s like a 20,000 population number that most bigger industries and retailers like to see before they want to go there, and we’re a little bit shy of that number. But we’re still working to get some of the bigger names to come in here. Right now we have a Panda Express that’s building to open in August. We do have a big company here: CertainTeed Corporation has been here for quite some time. They’re probably our biggest number employer, specializing in insulation materials manufacturing. And we are seeing a lot more interest. We are very centrally located in California, right at the intersection of two major freeways, the 99 and the 152. To get to the Bay Area you can take the 152. To get to Sacramento to the north, you can take the 99. We have a great logistical location and it’s starting to be utilized more and more.” In order to focus on Chowchilla’s downtown area, Pruett says the city recently completed a