The Manteca Redevelopment Agency’s first big thing took a shuttered 362-acre sugar beet processing plant site and converted it into the economic juggernaut known as Spreckels Park.The city is now moving closer to what could be the RDA’s last hurrah — investing upwards of $20 million in remaining bond proceeds to situate 210 acres of city-owned land once thought necessary for future expansion of the wastewater treatment plant into a major economic hub centered around family entertainment.Upwards of $20 million will go toward putting in place major sewer, water, and storm drain lines as well as purple pipe for recycled water and extending Daniels Street among other infrastructure.City Manager Karen McLaughlin said the work is being timed to allow McWhinney Development to break ground on a destination hotel, indoor waterpark, and conference center either later this year or in early 2017.“We want to be in a positon so the work that we (the city) have to do will be in place so it doesn’t delay them,” McLaughlin said.The FEZ project is bounded by the 120 Bypass, the wastewater treatment plant, BLD/Stadium Retail Center and McKinley Avenue.McWhinney originally had Great Wolf Resorts lined up to operate the 500-room hotel and accompanying amenities. In September a new chief executive officer took over Great Wolf just as the environmental impact report was being adopted by the Manteca City Council. The new CEO told McWhinney that he wanted to do his own “due diligence” and vet possible Bay Area sites.
RDAs last hurrah: $20M FEZ jumpstart