Manteca’s fifth intersection with double left turn lanes will be built at South Main Street and Atherton Drive.

Each direction on Main Street will have double turn lanes to Atherton as well as dedicated right turn lanes. That is in addition to three thru lanes in each direction.

At the same time, a median will be installed to eliminate left turns into, and out of, the gas station and convenience store along Main between Atherton and the 120 Bypass

It will mark the first time in Manteca of a major intersection going from being undeveloped — with an exception of an existing house — to its ultimate configuration designed to handle existing and future growth.

And it could happen before any of the three entitled projects near the intersection breaks ground.

That said, project developers of two of the endeavors have told the city they are preparing to start construction.
*Quaterra is planning 818 housing units with a mixture of apartments, duplexes, and single family homes on 59 acres to the east of Main Street.

*California Gold Development’s Marketplace at Main on the intersection’s southwest corner includes 110,009 square feet including a supermarket as an anchor. The Marketplace at Main has already secured Chipotle’s Kitchen and a McDonald’s for free-standing pads.

The other approved project is SOMA Apartments with 210 units on the southeast corner of the same intersection.

How Manteca approached the upgrade of the current Main Street bottleneck between the 120 Bypass and Woodward is a major departure from development as usual in Manteca when it comes to major arterials.

In the past, a developer would be required to make improvements on their side of the arterial fronting their property and half the street — minus curbs and gutters — on the far side.

The switch is being made possible by Manteca using an expanded area of benefit that is expected to be formed in the coming months.

Not only does it allow for the funding and construction of all approved developments to be done at once, but land not being developed is assessed its fair share when it does develop.

Meanwhile, the city will dip into growth fees for roads to cover the cost. The city is reimbursed when a project moves forward on the undeveloped land.

The general concept is not new to Manteca, but extending it over a larger area is.

The City Council, agreeing with the growing frustration of motorists dealing with half streets going in primarily south of the 120 Bypass when one side of the road develops and the doesn’t, dropped its half street policy.

It is now requiring developers to pay for the cost of street improvements on the far side from their projects. They would then be put in line for reimbursement as growth fees collected for infrastructure oversizing such as streets are collected or from the owner of the property when it develops.

There is a queue of developers in line waiting for reimbursements as funds become available.

Raymus Homes stepped up to tackle the first existing half street gap project on Union Road at Woodward Avenue several years ago.

In that case, it involved a street fronting a home that was likely not to submit a project for a different use for a number of years.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com