The term “half-plex” more often than not conjures up images of repetitive looking homes, plain architectural treatment, and rental housing.
It is not what is being planned for 184.7-acre Hat Ranch neighborhood of 738 homes approved for southeast Manteca once the land is annexed to the city.
The development deal hammered out between Richland Communities and the City of Manteca that was finalized Tuesday assures the 1980s era halfplexes won’t be built in the neighborhood.
That’s because of $40 million infrastructure and growth fees plus another $10 million in add-on fees for everything from a new fire engine and new solid waste collection truck and to help pay for a new public safety building.
That $50 million cost — excluding the cost of the land, planning expenses, grading, and actual home construction — will require the developer to pony up $68,306 for each housing unit built.
To put that in perspective, that is just over the eighth of the median home price of $597,500 for existing housing that closed escrow in August based on Realtor.com stats.
Also keep in mind the least expensive new tract home in Manteca — three bedrooms and two bathrooms with 1,668 square feet — is now selling for $624,990.
That means for the halfplexes to pencil out if they were built today they would easily cost $500,000 to $600,000 without the $10 million in add-on fees.
Plus those financing the homes would have to have a qualifying income for a payment that includes at least $5,500 plus in basic property taxes and bond repayments plus the highest combined community facilities district (CFD) charges in Manteca that could easily exceed $3,000 a house.
That means buyers would need to have the income to handle $8,500 plus in property taxes and CFD every year on top of mortgage payments.
As such, the duplexes will be aimed at the same people that would buy single family homes.
In fact, the clustering of four halfplexes on a court mimics similar residential development that have four free-standing homes that share the same private concrete court.
Instead of being 2,200 square feet and larger that most homes clustered on courts are, the living space in the halfplexes will range from 1,518 to 1,788 square feet. They will sit on lots ranging in size from 2,520 to 4,042 square feet.
In comparison, the 634 single family homes in Hat Ranch would be built on lots ranging in size from 4,500 to 7,000 square feet with living space ranging from 2,554 to 4,563 square feet.
And just like courts in similar clusters of single family homes elsewhere such as in Lathrop, the shared driveway is expected to be a place where kids from the various households will be able to safely play.
A Richland representative called the halfplexes for what they are — “attainable housing” for households with solid valley paychecks as opposed to the more robust bay Area paychecks.
That means the reduced footprint compared to other offerings in Hat Ranch will allow pricing that makes the homes somewhat less expensive than free-standing single family houses.
They are designed to be the least expensive at-market offerings. But in doing so, they are basically no different than the other homes being built except smaller and requiring less overall land.
Sixty-four of the 104 halfplexes are in clusters of four that share a common driveway in the southeast corner of the project.
They back up to sound walls that will run along the southern extension of Atherton Drive and the future western extension of Raymus Parkway from Griffin Park where it will intersect South Main Street at a planned roundabout.
Directly across the street from the cluster halfplexes will be the eastern and southern edges of a 16-acre elementary school site and part one of two planned parks in the project. One would more than double the existing Pillsbury Estates Park while the second would be adjacent to the school site that is less than a block west of Atherton Drive.
The halfplexes are far away from existing homes and back up to what will be two busy arterials.
More than half of the dwelling units — 343 homes — will be east of Pillsbury where the bulk of the higher density housing (64 halfplexes) would be built along with a future elementary school site for the Ripon Unified School District.
That is being done in an effort to get most trips to and from those homes to use the extension of Atherton Drive south of Woodward Avenue. Atherton Drive will have a connection built by Caltrans to Austin Road as part of the $154 million Highway 99/120 Bypass interchange access to provide the shortest distance to local freeways.
The overall density of the Hat Ranch is similar to the adjoining neighborhoods
Developers do not expect the first dirt to be turned for at least three years.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
