A reconfigured Yosemite Square project — the first major development along Austin Road on Manteca’s eastern flank — has been approved by the City Council.
In their unanimous approval council on Tuesday noted:
*The developers stepped up and are donating 5 acres needed for the third phase of the Highway 99/120 Bypass and as such could slice the overall cost by $3 million or so.
*A new gravity flow segment of the Woodward Avenue sewer main on the west side of Highway 99 will be paid for by developers to eliminate for costly forced pumping not just of wastewater Yosemite Square will generate but from existing homes as well.
*Over $11 million in off-site work will be done including improvements on the western part of Austin Road north to Yosemite Avenue as well as upgrades to the Yosemite Avenue/East Highway 120 interchange.
*The 137 acres instead of generating 14,700 vehicle trips a day at buildout as the previously approved development plans would allow, will generate only half that amount.
*If they turned down the project, the developer could still proceed with the higher traffic use and even push to covert what had previously been approved for office development to instead be high density residential such as apartment complexes.
The project also will include a 10 to 14 foot high soundwall around a portion of the AC Trucking operation that currently handles 200 trucks.
The exact height will be determined after a new sound assessment is done.
Opponents pointed out a number of reasons why they believed the council should have just said no to monkeying with the adopted Yosemite Square project.
*Even with less vehicles, the fact the removal of the ramps at the nearby Austin Road/Highway 99 interchange will mean virtually all traffic from the new neighborhood will need to use Yosemite Avenue and will have a major negative impact on traffic along the corridor.
*The ramps, according to Caltrans’ current timetable, may not be replaced for another 20 years — a decade after the Yosemite Square development is projected to be completed.
*The additional 7,000 vehicle trips a day will overwhelm Austin Roped that is essentially a country road.
*The 797-home project — which will be the largest concertation in terms of density of a tract development of detached homes with lots ranging from 3,290 to 5,250 square feet — has the potential to generate 2,000 residents in an area that is not close to developed portions of the city.
Carol Nunes, who along with her husband Al owns AC Trucking, noted the housing use is not compatible with their existing truck yard even though the developer will buffer it from nearby homes with a high masonry wall, landscaping, and a street.
She pointed out residents — who will be advised when they buy a home that there is a truck yard nearby — will still have to deal with smells, lights, and noise connected with a robust 24/7 trucking yard
“How long will it take for our company to be driven out of business?” she asked.
AC Trucking provides 50 jobs that qualify as head of household based on pay.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
