Manteca may be purchasing the biggest remaining vacant parcel in the central city for  development of a homeless navigation center and possibly affordable housing and/or a police station as well.

The City Council is being asked Tuesday to formally enter into an agreement to purchase 8 acres on South Main Street between Wetmore Street and Industrial Park Drive.

The purchase price based on a recent appraisal is $1,1760,000.

It is being bought from the successor agency put in place to oversee the disposal of properties not tied to active projects when the Manteca Redevelopment Agency was dissolved in February 2012.

The city was awarded $2 million by the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors in pass through state funds to address homeless shelter needs in order to buy the site and cover some of the initial site work. That includes extending sewer and water from Carnegie Court as well as grading and making the back of the parcel ready to accept portables or other structures.

Interim City Manager Toni Lundgren noted the city has been working on plans to allow infrastructure work to be done in a bid to move the homeless project forward in a timely manner.

The land was initially bought by the Manteca RDA for $2.6 million 18 years ago for the purpose of building a South County justice center with courtrooms, the city’s police headquarters and offices for the public defenders and district attorney.

That plan, however, fell through.

The RDA funds were derived from property taxes collected from homeowners and commercial endeavors included within its boundaries that were smaller than the actual city’s and consisted primarily of older sections of Manteca.

The use of state funds will avoid those property owners from paying twice for the same property.

The proceeds from the sale are required by law to be distributed proportionally based on the tax rate to the agencies that had tax revenue diverted initially to fund the RDA. In the case of the Manteca RDA, 51 percent goes to the school district, roughly 17 percent to the city and the rest divided among the county, Delta College, and other local taxing agencies.

City leaders are working with area legislators in a bid to avoid actual funds needing to be transferred given the state has a large war chest to address homeless issues that rank as California’s top priority.

The plan, if that happens, could have the state making all jurisdictions “whole” including the city that would realize money from the sale, turning the property over to the city, and freeing up the $2 million in county fund earmarked by the county to go  toward securing portable facilities and such to establish the navigation center.

Experts retained by the city recommended a 283-bed shelter as part of a navigation center designed to get homeless off the streets with access restricted access to the facility from the Carnegie Court cul-de-sac on the east side of the property.

The portion along South Main was envisioned by consultants for seven separate 4-story complexes that would provide additional workforce affordable housing for Manteca similar to what exists at Juniper Apartments on Atherton Drive.

The ground floor on a number of the complexes would have 15,000 square feet set aside for build-to-suit office and commercial space as well as live-work studios. LPA consultants believe the complex could house 192 apartments — 72 studios, 72 one-bedroom units and 48 two-bedroom units.

The city, though, could opt to place a police station there instead.

The navigation center would involve 17,100 square feet of structures to house a common room for dining and TV use, a full-service kitchen, intake and administration, offices for the city/operator, restroom and showers, an office shared by outside services that are available for staff to work to help get the homeless off the street, and classroom/multipurpose room/activity room.

The actual shelter area would include:

*7,700 square feet for a men’s dorm with 154 beds

*4,650 square feet for a women’s dorm with 93 beds

*3,600 square feet for a family dorm with 36 beds

*16 84-square-foot pallet homes for transitional housing

There would also be a 5,000-square-foot dog park, open space, and parking.

Costs will depend upon what the city ultimately decides to go with as well as the type of structures they will use — traditional permanent construction of Sprung Structures that use canvas-like materials to create large spaces for churches, gyms, and homeless shelters.

 The council meets at 7 p.m. at the Civic Center, 1001 W. Center St.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com