In a week that brought more grim news about the prospects of Patterson Vegetable Co., the announcement that a new distribution center could bring 1,500 jobs to Patterson comes as a godsend.

Patterson city officials deserve a huge round of applause for this latest coup.

While it’s true that much of Patterson’s recent economic success can be attributed to geography, given its Interstate 5 access and relative proximity to the Port of Oakland, the role city officials have played in this transaction cannot be overlooked. City staff members received high marks from W.W. Grainger officials after they helped lure that company to town last year, and Bill Bassitt of the Stanislaus Economic Development and Workforce Alliance has said that prospective employers have found the city easy to work with.

Past councils also should be recognized for the foresight and planning that went into zoning much of west Patterson for industrial park space, which has allowed shovel-ready sites to be available when prospective employers needed them. The landowners and developers who are involved also deserve kudos.

It has taken years of effort, but the planning that turned west Patterson into a major industrial center finally appears to be paying major dividends. City officials, developers and commercial real estate brokers involved in those projects should keep up the good work.