Roche Fruit Company Purchase Vacant Land

The two block section of Poplar Street between 1^st Avenue and 3^rd Avenue was permanently closed as of today in order to improve safety for both pedestrians and drivers in the largely industrial area.

Roche Fruit Company, Inc., a longtime mainstay of the Yakima Valley agricultural industry, purchased the now-closed section of Poplar Street which runs through Roche’s “Fruit Row” packing, storage, and shipping location.  Roche paid the City just under $47,000 for the property.

In May 2011, Roche requested the vacant of the section of Poplar Street between 1^st Avenue and 3^rd Avenue because the roadway has primarily been used for years by Roche, which owns facilities on both sides of Poplar Street.  The majority of traffic on the street section has consisted of trucks, forklifts, and other vehicles associated with Roche’s fruit processing operations.