Stockton’s ultimate city limits could come within three miles of downtown Manteca.
That’s because the San Joaquin County Local Agency Formation Commission years ago approved placing land as far south as Roth Road in Stockton’s sphere of influence, essentially a precursor for possible annexation.
The Manteca City Council on Tuesday could authorize spending $46,225 to have DeNovo Planning Services to update the city’s Municipal Services Review document to include an area bounded by Airport Way, Roth Road, the railroad tracks and French Camp Road.
The citizens committee that worked on updating the city’s general plan that the state mandates to serve as a blueprint for growth recommended the area in question be considered for future annexation and development. That happened after Manteca’s citizens-based economic development committee made a case for the land to be included in the city’s general plan
It is considered to be land that is highly viable for industrial and business park development given it borders the Union Pacific intermodal truck-to-rail facility on the south, is less than a half mile from its northern point to Stockton Metro Airport and is roughly equal distance between Highway 99 and Interstate 5.
It is also contiguous to the CenterPoint Business Park that is anchored by 5.11 Tactical as well as Penske Logistics that houses Lowe’s Northern California distribution center. Manteca already has extended water and sewer pipelines literally within several hundred feet of the area in question.
The area includes a 100-acre parcel on the northwest corner of Roth Road and Airport Way that is part of a State Opportunity Zone that has considerable tax advantages that can be used to attract employers.
Stockton’s southernmost boundary comes down to French Camp Road at a point several hundred yards from where Union Road T-intersects. That is just over 5 miles from downtown Manteca.
French Camp Road has generally been perceived as the future southern boundary of Stockton.
Originally Stockton expressed no opposition to having the area possibly switched into Manteca’s sphere of influence. That changed on July 15 in a telephone conference call between Stockton and Manteca staff.
The municipal service reviews under law need to be updated every five years. Manteca’s was last updated in 2015.
Such reviews are designed to show a jurisdiction empirically can provide services. That is a key requirement that LAFCo must be shown can be met before ruling in favor of annexation requests.
If the council when they met remotely at 7 p.m. via Zoom determines they aren’t interested in pursuing the land in question for possible future annexation the cost of the MSR would be reduced by $17,515.
Inclusion of the land in the proposed general plan update creates a significantly sized employment center as virtually all of the land in question would have zoning for that purpose and not housing or commercial.
It also could be developed relatively quickly given it is continuous Manteca infrastructure. And while the land in question at its northernmost point is literally across the street from where Stockton’s city limits run up against French Camp Road, the closest urbanization with sewer and water pipelines are more than a mile away.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
