Manteca is awaiting a proposal from Inner City Action that could prompt elected leaders to take steps to try and work with state legislators and other local agencies to allow the former Qualex building to be acquired and developed as a homeless resource center.

And if it does, staff is advising that the City Council might want to make sure the following issues are covered:

*Making sure Inner City has the financial capacity to acquire the property, upgrade the facility, construct parking and landscaping consistent with the current codes including American with Disabilities (ADA) compliance, and to sustain the maintenance of the facility.

*Addressing the requirements for land use, zoning, infrastructure connections that change from the industrial to office/assembly use, environmental review, building and life safety improvements, and building permit requirements.

*Making sure plans to ensure safe access to the facility due to the facility being located on an STAA truck route, including pedestrian crossings and signals as needed.

*Verifying Inner City has sustainable management capacity and can handle potential security needs of the site and adjacent properties to operate a resource center and/or shelter expansion — if that is planned.

City Manager Tim Ogden, who doubles as the executive director of the successor agency of the Manteca Redevelopment Agency, also stressed other issues could arise “during the planning, entitlement, permitting, and construction phases, including potentially directing staff to assess the comprehensive needs analysis of resource center and consider alternate locations if desired should this facility not materialize as feasible.”
The City Council meets Tuesday at 7 p.m. to discuss the issue that — if it moves forward— would have to be reviewed by the oversight board that is legally responsible for the disposal of RDA properties that did not have projects ready to move forward when the state disbanded redevelopment agencies.

The council earlier this month removed the 57,329-square-foot former Qualex building at 555 Industrial Park Drive from a list of surplus RDA properties that are going to auction in April. The reason was to see if the property could be acquired by Inner City Action for use as a homeless resource center.

During a 25-day “homeless tent revival” Inner City Action operated through Feb. 17 in the parking lot of the Qualex building they had 366 unsheltered individuals pass through their gates and into the temporary homeless resource center compound. Of those, 243 were male and 123 female. They had 308 homeless individuals take showers and 73 receive haircuts. Each day they served 30 to 50 breakfasts, 50 to 77 lunches, and 40 to 60 dinners.

At the March 5 meeting the council directed staff — in working with Inner City Action — to devise an action plan that needs to be delivered to Assemblyman Heath Flora’s office by April 26 so the crafting of legislation that would be required to possibly make the Inner City Action deal work can be drafted and introduced for the current legislative term.

It would also require working with local taxing agencies that have a stake in the Qualex building if it is sold — Manteca Unified, San Joaquin County, Delta College, South San Joaquin Irrigation District, and the San Joaquin Mosquito and Vector Control District — to agree to a plan not to auction off the structure and therefore forfeiting their share of revenue if the building were sold at auction.

 The council on March 5 indicated if an action plan can’t be put in place to allow Flora’s office to craft legislation to carve an exemption from state law that directed all surplus property of redevelopment agencies to be sold by auction under a 2011 state disbanding them, the Qualex property would be put up for auction

In a memo to the council, said while the City Council reviews the Inner City Action proposal that they should also consider the following:

*Ensure the Successor Agency has completely exhausted all options for disposing of the property with the Oversight Board and Department of Finance before pursuing legislative solutions as recommend by legal counsel.

*Ensure receiving only one proposal, from Inner City Action to obtain the property at less than fair market value, if approved by the Department of Finance or legislative action, is in the best interest of the community and does not violate the California Constitution’s prohibition against giving or lending public funds to any person or entity, public or private.

*Ensure the property disposition contract sufficiently secures the ability to have the property ownership revert back to the Successor Agency or City of Manteca should the project plans or the financial issues become unsustainable.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com