Editor Manteca Bulletin,
WOW, for the first time in nearly ten years I agree with something Ben Cantu has said.  His letter in the Sept. 2-3 Manteca Bulletin about having shovel-ready infrastructure was like a breath of fresh air. 
Taking a page from Lathrop’s playbook and even Bakersfield where we lived up until nearly ten years ago, put in the:  sewer, water, utilities, major arterial streets and curbs in advance and development will come and that development will be uniform, not hodgepodge as currently is happening south of the 120 Bypass and along Airport Way north of Lathrop Road.  It takes some smart thinking to figure out five to ten years in advance where that development will happen and how to fund it, but if a City is adhering to their General Plan, that shouldn’t be too difficult.
 When you see a development with homes already being built, you can bet that developer is already planning where to build next.  They are going to use the General Plan as a guide and start negotiations with land owners for their next development that is five to ten years down the road before it even starts.  Shovel-ready infrastructure provides for much more balanced growth and less stress on everyone concerned.
Just my opinion, but having seen it work well elsewhere, perhaps there are some lessons to be learned by the City of Manteca.

Bill Barnhart
Manteca