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TURNING SEWER INTO GOLD
Plane before council Tuesday could leverage $34,333 investment into at least $9.6 million
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This map shows the envisioned family entertainment zone (in gray), the 13 acres of city-owned property (the tallow below the purple), the 3.1-acre RDA parcel being auction off (yellow), a privately owned site approved for a hotel and commercial (red) as well as an area proposed for 365 multiple housing units (purple) in relation to Big League Dreams, Great Wolf, and Costco. The area is northwest of the Airport Way and 120 Bypass interchange.

A $34,333 city investment in 1966 could be parlayed into at least $9.6 million thanks to Manteca landing what will arguably be the biggest singular tourist attraction in the Northern San Joaquin Valley — the 500-room Great Wolf indoor water park now rising on 29 acres once attached to the municipal wastewater treatment plant.

It is part of a development strategy for more than 100 city owned acres flanking Daniels Street that has the potential to create thousands of private sector jobs by leveraging the annual combined drawing power of Great Wolf and Big League Dreams that will bring 900,000 annual visitors to Manteca.

On Tuesday the Manteca City Council will be asked to set in motion two proposals that out of the gate will have the potential to generate a minimum of $17.6 million for the city.

The council is being asked to include the city-owned 13-acre parcel on the corner of Milo Candini Drive and Daniels Street across from the BLD complex as part of an auction next month disposing of a 3.1 acres immediately to the east on the corner of Airport Way and Daniels Street plus an 8.1-acre parcel on South Main Street. The two other parcels were purchased by the former Manteca Redevelopment Agency. The proceeds will be split among 10 local taxing agencies with the Manteca Unified School District receiving just over half. 

Proceeds from the sale of the land —if research shows the funding to buy it came from waster maintenance and operations — could be used to help stave off monthly rate increases.

The 13 acres was part of a 56 acre parcel bought in 1966 for $34,333 to establish land disposal for the municipal wastewater treatment plant. Technology changes have eliminated the need for the land to dispose of treated wastewater. Those changes are what allowed the city to develop the 30-acre BLD complex as well as create a 29-acre parcel for an indoor waterpark and subsequently snaring Great Wolf that is investing $180 million to open what will be the largest hotel ever built in the Great Central Valley. It is targeted to open by Memorial Day Weekend 2020 and will provide 500 jobs including 250 that are fulltime.

Also on Tuesday’s agenda is the issuance of a request for proposal to attract interest on the development of a Class A office park on city-owned land at 1844 Daniels Street, south of Airport Way and east of Sizzler’s restaurant and where a four-story, 101-room Staybridge Suites Hotel was approved last month by the Manteca Planning Commission.

The proposed office complex site is part of 10 acres the city purchased from Manteca Development Group in January 2013 for $3.8 million. Lowe’s Home Improvement obtained approval to build a 140,000-square-foot store at the location but once the recession hit the chain dropped their plans. The city worked with San Joaquin County to develop a South County complex housing satellite offices of various county services. A deal was struck but the county has since dropped the proposal.

Staff is asking the council to OK a process allowing developers to propose development plans and to secure the rights to develop the 9.15 acres that remain after selling a portion to make the Staybridge Suites hotel feasible and for expansion of the Sizzler’s parking lot. Based on current market prices, the sale of the land for a Class A office complex could bring in as much as $7.8 million.

Given the land was bought with RDA bond proceeds, the revenue would have to be used for projects tied into the sale of those bonds that includes building the McKinley Avenue interchange on the 120 Bypass.

At the same time city is moving forward with developing the family entertainment zone that would be bordered by McKinley Avenue on the west, the wastewater treatment plant on the north, BLD on the east and Great Wolf on the south.

Great Wolf also has an option to develop 9.7 additional acres. After opening waterpark resorts in other locations, Great Wolf started shortly thereafter to add additional rooms and/or significantly larger conference centers.

BLD representatives are also discussing acquiring additional land to expand the sports complex.

The City Council meets Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Civic Center, 1001 W. Center St.


To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com