Merchants along East Yosemite Avenue — ranging from a pharmacy to a styling salon — between Lincoln Avenue and Washington Street could lose dozens of parking spaces.
That’s one of two scenarios a consultant pitched as a design for a pending upgrade of the Yosemite Avenue corridor between Cottage Avenue and Main Street during a community meeting Wednesday at the Manteca Senior Center.
Downtown merchant Brenda Franklin branded the proposal as “blatantly anti-business.”
Others, such as Wendy Benavides, worried about limited off street parking for concerns in the Cabral Center as well as safety at night for customers who would have to walk on sections of Yosemite Avenue that have less street lighting than blocks closer to the heart of downtown.
 The proposal that eliminates parking between Lincoln Avenue and Washington Street would place two 5-foot green painted bicycle lanes in each direction, have a 15-foot wide westbound lane, a 12-foot wide center turn lane, and a 16-foot wide eastbound lane.
Parking would be reduced somewhat between Lincoln Avenue and Main Street. There would be an 8-foot wide parking area on the north side of the street, a 5-foot bike lane, two 12-foot travel lanes, a 5-foot bike lane, and a 7-foot wide parking lane on the south side of the street.
An option that would retain the current parking on Yosemite Avenue between Lincoln Avenue and Washington Street has 7-foot wide parking on the north side of the street, a 5-foot bike lane, a 10.5-foot wide westbound lane, an 11-foot wide center turn lane, a 10.5-foot wide westbound lane, a 5-foot bike lane, and a 7-foot wide parking area on the south side of the block.
The solid green, 5-foot bike lanes would continue all the way to Cottage Avenue.
Manteca has been able to secure a combined $2.4 million in federal funds to go towards the improvement of Main Street between Yosemite Avenue and Atherton Drive as well as Yosemite Avenue between Main Street and Cottage Avenue. The balance of the tab will be covered by Measure K sales tax and gas tax revenue.
Both improvement projects are significant undertakings. The city doesn’t want to tear up two of its major thoroughfares during the rainy season meaning work won’t start until at least the spring of 2018.
The project will entail removing pavement and grinding it up. It also will include some curb and gutter work and making sure sidewalks at intersections meet American with Disabilities Act requirements.
For more information on the Yosemite Avenue project or to submit a comment contact Matiel Holloway at the Manteca Public Works Department, 456.8411 or email mholloway@ci.manteca.ca.us

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com