A relatively small annexation could mean big bucks to help underwrite Manteca municipal services.

It involves 2.1 acres straddling Inheritance Way nestled against the southeast quadrant of the Lathrop Road/Highway 99 interchange.

There are several rural homes plus construction-related businesses.

But more important for Manteca there is a billboard.

And that billboard — under a deal with Outfront Media — will be replaced with a high-tech LED billboard.

Between the two signs, Manteca will see a steady annual stream of revenue in the low to mid six-figure range to support municipal services.

And, as an added bonus, Outfront Media will remove four billboards along Moffat Boulevard that are on land that is part of the city’s park system along the Tidewater Bikeway.

The first sign to go in place will likely be the Highway 99 location.

That’s because it already has the steel support in place to handle the weight of an LED electronic billboard.

The city will share the base payment and a percentage of the advertising revenue with the property owner along Inheritance Way.

For the 120 Bypass billboard, Manteca will receive a base monthly lease payment for use of its land plus a percentage of money spent on advertising.

Manteca will also have a certain amount of time they can use the billboards to promote what they wish such as a community street fair or public service messages such as watering restrictions.

Both billboards will incorporate a “Manteca” message on the base that could be as simple as “welcome to Manteca.”

Mayor Singh, who has been the catalyst behind the endeavor, has noted the billboards will adhere to strict Caltrans standards such as ones that regulate brightness under various conditions.

The deal started when current city leadership was following through on the city’s contractual right to remove the billboards on city property along Moffat Boulevard that previous municipal administrations declined to do for more than 16 years.

Revenue is projected within three to five years to allow the city to recoup $2.2 million they spent in early 2024 to purchase the 3.85-acre parcel where the billboard will go along the 120 Bypass.

The city plans to create a small parcel for the billboard and then aggressively market the high-profile location for a sit-down restaurant.

The odd triangle shaped parcel, despite its location, was considered a challenge by commercial agents to develop because of its size.

Sit-down restaurants typically don’t do their own land deals.

The city will work with the Living Spaces site owner to make parking and access optimal.

The purchase of the property in 2024 was done as part of a city strategy to acquire problematic parcels in high potential areas to line up investors to develop them.

It is similar to what the city is doing with a former private parking lot and an adjoining lot with

The billboard deal — along with the cannabis stores with their negotiated community benefit — is part of an ongoing promise by city leadership to actively pursue other revenue sources to augment property tax and sales tax.

The Great Wolf deal with its massive room tax receipts secured with the city’s in investment with infrastructure to the site and going through the exhaustive and time-consuming environmental review process to make the city land it now sits on to be sold ready to develop as a family entertainment zone is also part of that effort.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com