More than 7,000 people may one day live on 638 acres that has been mostly fallow for the past decade west of McKinley Avenue in southwest Manteca.
The city has already approved 1,176 homes for the Manteca Trails project on 477 acres south of Woodward Avenue. Now Pete Dana wants to develop 206 acres north of Woodward Avenue with 676 homes. The 206-acre project also will include 20 acres of commercial to take advantage of city plans to create at interchange on the 120 Bypass with McKinley Avenue as well as an 11.59-acre business park.
The new project known as Oakwood Trails is bounded on the west by the gated Oakwood Shores community, on the north by Bronzan Road, on the east by McKinley Avenue, and on the west by McKinley Avenue.
The developer is seeking approval of an environmental impact report as well as a vested subdivision map, the final steps that must be taken before ground can be turned.
The map is before the Manteca Planning Commission when they meet Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Civic Center council chambers, 1001 W. Center St.
Even if work doesn’t start for a year or so, the vested map will shore up the ability of the developers to build the project. Approved maps expire after two years if work doesn’t start. Developers can ask for an extension not to exceed three years.
That’s because it is in the new 200-year floodplain. State law requires a plan to upgrade levees on the San Joaquin River to be in place by July 1, 2016 or else new projects cannot advance. Language in the state law exempts projects that have reached a certain point in the planning process such as having an environmental impact report certified and vested subdivision maps approved.
Developers of Manteca Trails to the south of Oakwood Trails will be required to lengthen and strengthen a dry levee that runs along the southern edge of that project. Dry levees are essentially back-up levees in the advent of a river levee failure.
The state’s looming deadline for 200-year flood protection may have played a role in speeding up the plans of the landowner — who is also the developer — to move forward specific plans for Oakwood Shores.
The advancement of either Oakwood Trails or Manteca Trails would significantly reduce the cost of extending sewer service to Oakwood Shores.
Oakwood Shoes homeowners have been talking off and on about annexing to the city due to a state deadline they have to stop using their current sewer system.