CJ Wilson has announced plans to relocate his three luxury auto dealerships to Clovis. Photo courtesy of RPM Public Relations

CJ Wilson is planning to leave tire tracks heading east on Herndon Avenue as he expands his luxury auto dealerships into a new, 15-acre development in Clovis.

Wilson, a former Major League pitcher and current racing enthusiast, is looking to build a new showroom complex for his BMW, Audi and Porsche dealerships.

The project site could also include a restaurant and hotel.

The location will be the southwest corner of Clovis and Herndon south of Highway 168 near one of the hottest intersections for retail development in Clovis.

 

Wilson closed on the parcel for a new Audi dealership on Nov. 15 and finalized the purchase of a remaining nine acres to be home to Porsche and BMW. The dealerships are currently located along Palm Avenue north of Herndon Avenue in Fresno.

Wilson said in an interview Tuesday that his dealerships will take about 10 acres of the development area. Each will have new brand identities featuring high-end finishes approved by each manufacturer, making the dealerships unique in California. 

Two other parcel owners in the development area have their own plans. One seeks to build a restaurant concept. The other, a hotel, Wilson said.

Wilson had been looking for a new home for a couple of years, seeking the opportunity to own his own facilities. He said the site was big enough to expand his service capabilities — something not feasible at his Fresno locations. 

“There’s a mile-long checklist on why this is such a great spot,” Wilson said.

The move comes with plans to add more brands to Wilson’s luxury portfolio in the coming years, which would add to the business’s 100-plus employees.

“We are excited to bridge passion for luxury automobiles to the Clovis community,” said Wilson in a news release. “Expanding is essential. The growth we’ve created together with our clients requires a brand-new, world-class facility and therefore increasing our employee count. It’s perfect timing with each manufacturer updating to the newest generation of corporate imaging, so we’ll have the most state-of-the-art facilities in the entire Valley for quite some time. Combining this new aesthetic and being able to double our collective service capacity will take operations to a totally new level. I’m really proud to be local, and this campus will be a long-term jewel for my family.”

The Wilsons came to town in 2017 after the acquisition of the Fresno three dealerships from Al Monzajeb, a Seattle luxury imports dealerships. Monzajeb purchased the family-owned BMW dealership on Palm, previously known as Weber BMW, in 2013. He purchased the Audi and Porsche dealerships next door in 2014.

On the Clovis project, Wilson is working with local development company Legacy Construction.

“We are excited and honored to be part of making CJ’s vision a reality, as well as creating another amenity that solidifies Clovis as a top retail destination, said Bill Cummings, CEO of Legacy Construction.

The development center where the new dealerships will be housed has yet to be officially named. The new dealerships are slated to be completed in 2026.

North of the future dealerships on the other side of Herndon Avenue there are plans for a new five-story hotel with a rooftop restaurant. The California Health Sciences University is located just south of the proposed site. The Walmart Supercenter-anchored Clovis Crossing shopping center is also nearby.