River Islands now has all of the infrastructure in place to support the construction of the first 498 single family homes of the sprawling development.
Last month the Lathrop City Council formally accepted the completion of an interim sewer lift station and its control system as well interconnect improvements for the South San Joaquin Irrigation District to finalize a 2013 agreement with the City of Lathrop requiring the development to make a series of public improvements that will support future development in the area that will eventually include almost 12,000 new homes.
A series of backbone streets were also constructed as part of the agreement to complement the necessary utility improvements that will sustain the growth for the project that is expected to, once completed, more than double the city’s current population.
And they weren’t cheap improvements to make.
According to an accounting of the materials and the construction costs associated with the projects, the interim sewer lift station cost the developer $322,250 to complete while the connection to the SSJID system was an additional $294,992.
The SCACA control system for the sewer pump station – a supervisory control and data acquisition system that will allow for remote monitoring of flows and allow adjustments when needed from off-site – was an additional $25,100.
When it comes to installing infrastructure improvements necessary to sustain development, River Islands has always worked closely with the City of Lathrop to meet all of the required additions. That willingness was on display earlier this summer when the development formally cut the ribbon on the Bradshaw’s Crossing bridge that connected River Islands Parkway (Louise Avenue) to the new development on the other side of the San Joaquin River. The entire cost of the construction – from the multiple state and federal permits required to build a bridge through a major river like the San Joaquin, to the materials necessary to complete it – were paid for by River Islands, and the entire process took nearly a decade to complete.
And even then, the bridge was opened before it was required to based on the agreement with the city that corresponds to the number of homes that have been constructed.
The new home construction in River Islands and future development on the west side of I-5 has helped Lathrop be a contributing factor to South San Joaquin County – chiefly Manteca, Lathrop, Mountain House and Tracy – becoming one of the fastest growing regions in the State of California.

To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.