The City of Manteca may spend $2.2 million to buy a 3.85 acre parcel just west of Living Spaces that backs up to the 120 Bypass on Atherton Drive.

The City Council — that hammered together a deal in closed session as allowed under state law — will consider Tuesday whether to approve a binding letter of offer to acquire the property at 1403 West Atherton Drive from the Dutra Family.

It is the latest in a series of property acquisitions the city has made in recent years.

Manteca has bought:

*The former county public health office at 127 Sycamore Avenue in July 2021 for $390,000. It opened last month as a satellite public safety office in downtown.

*Redevelopment surplus property originally bought for a South County courthouse and new police station at 682 South Main St. for which plans failed to materialize to complete. The city paid $1.71 million in May 2022 for the 8 acres where they are currently pursuing a homeless navigation center and affordable housing complex.

*A parking lot and an adjoining parcel where a masonry wall was left standing after the deadly Waukeen Hotel Fire in the 1980s on the northwest corner of Sycamore and Yosemite avenues for $80,000. The city is working with a private sector concern for a possible mixed use with commercial on the ground floor and housing on floors above.

The city has not officially shared their exact intent for the land they are buying

It is not unusual for cities to buy problematic properties in strategic locations and then go hunting for a private sector partner to pursue.

The city is also in the process of trying to find a location for a new police station. The site, though, is too small for a police facility unless it involved a multi-story facility with a parking structure.

Given the location and shape of the parcel — it is semi-flattened triangle – it has not seen much traction in terms of development interest.

The city staff report indicates they will try to get some sort of endeavor in place that could spur more economy development.

The city also owns a small parcel adjacent to the land they want to buy.

The money for the purchase, if approved, would come from undesignated reserves.

The resolution before the council when they meet Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Civic Center, 1001 Center St. includes transferring the $2.2 million from undesignated reserves to the capital improvement-government land fund.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com