More multi-family housing could be on the horizon for Airport Way south of the future extension of Center Street.
The Manteca City Council is meeting Tuesday behind closed doors to give staff directions on negotiating with a buyer for 3.7 acres the city bought almost two decades ago with redevelopment agency funds.
If the city sells the site, that will leave only one surplus RDA parcel to dispose of — 555 Industrial Park Drive.
And there has been a buyer waiting to make a deal for that site for more than three years.
That buyer is the Manteca Unified School District.
The district has run numbers that shows it can significantly save taxpayers money by establishing a central warehouse in the long-vacated structure that once housed a photo processing lab.
Not only will it free the district from lease agreements costing tens of thousands of dollars annually for space at a business park adjacent to the district’s office complex on Louise Avenue, but even with needed renovations it would be substantially less expensive than building a new warehouse from the ground up.
The state — when they dissolved redevelopment agencies statewide in 2010 — ordered properties that weren’t tied to viable projects that were moving toward development to be sold and proceeds distributed on a prorated basis to local taxing agencies.
The one caveat was that any government agency that wanted to acquire the properties in question could do so before it was made available to the private sector. The only proviso was the requirement they paid the appraised market value.
The district several times has formerly indicated the desire to buy the property but the city has stopped responding.
The city has decided not to dispose of the former Qualex site at 555 Industrial Park Drive as directed to do so 14 years ago by the state because they are now operating an emergency homeless shelter at that location.
The long and somewhat narrow parcel the council with be discussing Tuesday is at 282 North Airport Way is just south of where 128 duplex units have been approved as well as a 24-unit apartment complex.
It was originally bought with the intent of creating a quasi-independent living affordable residential complex for adults with special needs.
The property was under contract with Satellite Housing in 2006 to build 25 housing units but the deal fell through.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
