A self-storage developer in Visalia, California, may pursue legal action against the city following delays in his proposed Derrels Mini Storage project due to a dispute with a neighboring resident. Derrel Ridenour aims to construct the facility on a 10-acre section of a 20-acre parcel on the west side of Demaree Avenue. With over 50 self-storage operations in California, Ridenour has owned this property for around ten years.
In 2008, Ridenour sought a zoning change for the land, which the Visalia City Council approved in 2009, contingent upon a conditional zoning agreement. This agreement mandated improvements to Demaree Avenue, including widening the road and adding infrastructure like gutters and sidewalks. Ridenour has committed to funding the $1.4 million project.
Local business owners advocate for the development, describing the west side of Demaree as unattractive, with several vacant and dilapidated homes. Only two residences on the parcel remain occupied. One homeowner supports Ridenour's development, but Rose Ann Walker, the other property owner, has withdrawn her initial approval.
Walker had consented in December 2009 to incorporate part of her property into the street improvements but later changed her mind. Ridenour subsequently filed a lawsuit against Walker, seeking the city to enforce the conditional zoning agreement through eminent domain. When the city declined to do so, Ridenour threatened to sue the city as well.
Currently, the city is withholding demolition permits for the vacant houses until the lawsuit involving Walker is resolved. There are also complications regarding the ownership of Walker's property; now in her 80s and residing in a nursing home, she asserts that she has transferred ownership to her sons, who did not sign the conditional zoning agreement. Ridenour and his attorney are prepared to escalate the lawsuit to the Supreme Court if necessary.
