Manteca’s first freeway orientated business at the Lathrop Road and Highway 99 interchange is preparing to break ground.
The building permit for Manteca’s fourth ARCO AM/PM gas station/mini-mart combo is now being processed by the city. The commercial venture on the southeast corner of Lathrop Road at Crestwood Avenue will also be the first gas station/mini market in Manteca that will incorporate a chain fast food restaurant under its roof.
The city is also getting  ready to issue a building permit for a 4,172 square-foot building to house a Habit Burger restaurant in the 1400 block of East Yosemite Avenue west of Panera Bread.
So far this year through the end of March, Manteca has issued 557 building permits for work valued at $77.7 million
That includes 106 new single family homes with a combined construction value of $32.7 million. Of that 30 permits were for homes started in March with a combined value of $9.4 million.
The biggest permit so far in 2018 is for the 565,580-square-foot building shell for a distribution center on Louise Avenue west of the Manteca Unified School District office that will house a Medline medical supplies operation behind the Amazon Prime distribution center. The value of the shell permit is $31.4 million.
Residential solar system installations are off to a hot start with 117 permits valued at $1.7 million being issued in the first three months of the year.
Swimming pools and spas are also showing strength with 32 permits issued in January, February and March for a combined value of $1.3 million.
Plans for the Lathrop Road/Crestwood Avenue ARCO complex calls for 10 gas pumps, a 3,180-square-foot AM/PM convenience store, a 2,500-square-foot fast food restaurant with drive-thru service, a 2,520-square-foot automated car wash, and a shade canopy covering 12 vacuum parking stalls.
The development will also have an 82.5-foot sign allowed under city ordinances for freeway orientated services.
The project is the first resulting from the building of a modern interchange for Lathrop Road on Highway 99. The interchange is the only one in urbanized areas in San Joaquin County between the Sacramento County line and the Stanislaus River that has easy freeway access and hasn’t been developed commercially.
Manteca’s third ARCO AM/PM has opened on Daniels Street off Airport Way. Other locations are on South Main north of the 120 Bypass as well as on East Yosemite east of Highway 99.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com