West Park report given OK

On split vote, supervisors approve adding acreage to seek state funds

By TIM MORAN
tmoran@modbee.com

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The third-quarter report on the PCCP West Park LLC negotiations on a master development agreement for a 4,800-acre business and industrial park near Crows Landing won approval Tuesday night on a split vote of the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors.

Supervisors Jim DeMartini and Bill O'Brien voted against a motion to approve the report; to increase the acreage dedicated to an inland port from 150 to 170 acres and use the land's value as part of the matching funds required for state bond money; and to authorize the chairman to sign a letter of support for the concept of a short-haul rail system between Oakland and Crows Landing.

West Park, headed by Sacramento developer Gerry Kamilos, would be anchored by a rail link between the Port of Oakland and an inland port developed on the county-owned Crows Landing air facility. West Park is applying for $26 million in state transportation corridor bond money, and the project needs matching money for the application.

AT A GLANCE

• THE ISSUE: The Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors approved a third-quarter report on negotiations with PCCP West Park LLC on a master developer's agreement to build a 4,800-acre business and industrial park on and around the Crows Landing Air Facility.

• WHAT IT MEANS: The project will continue despite ongoing controversy and opposition from governments on the West Side.

• WHAT'S NEXT: Public hearings on land use are scheduled for Jan. 24 in Patterson and Feb. 5 in Newman. The application for state bond money is due Jan. 17, with hearings to start Feb. 18. California Transportation Commission staff recommendations are due March 13, and a preliminary program of projects is to be adopted April 10. The fourth- quarter report to the board of supervisors is due April 8.

West Park also is considering state bond money earmarked to reduce transportation air pollution.

The West Park project is controversial on the West Side, and has drawn opposition from the cities of Patterson and Newman, as well as from school and fire districts.

But Tuesday's vote came after about two dozen people spoke in favor of the West Park proposal. They spoke of the need for jobs for future generations, and of the lack of medical facilities on the West Side. Kamilos has offered to provide land for a medical facility in West Park.

DeMartini, a vocal opponent of the project, objected to several aspects of the project, including the increase of land to be dedicated to the inland port, the financial viability of the short-haul rail proposal, and the government money being sought to support the project from the state bond fund and the county donation of land.

At one point, DeMartini commented that he thought all of the speakers in favor of the project were on West Park's payroll.

Some of the speakers took umbrage at DeMartini's comments.

"Nobody pays me to say what I feel in my heart," said Angie Archibeque of Newman. She gave the board what she said were 400 signatures on a petition in support of the project.

Supervisors Jeff Grover, Tom Mayfield and Dick Monteith said they supported the report as part of the process to which the board agreed nine months ago when it chose Kamilos to negotiate a master development agreement for the area.

O'Brien said he opposed expanding the inland port property by 20 acres because of the mistrust West Side residents have for the county.

County staff highlighted some of the challenges ahead in handling the impact of the massive project. They include:

• Traffic studies show that West Park would generate 33,000 vehicle trips per day in its first phase, and 141,000 trips at completion. The trips would come from workers coming to the site, trucks delivering and picking up goods, and service vehicles. Roads in Stanislaus, Merced and San Joaquin counties would have to be improved to handle the traffic. How much of those improvements would be the responsibility of the developer remains to be determined.

• The water system, which would serve the community of Crows Landing as well as West Park, would have a peak demand of 21 million gallons per day. The options include surface water, groundwater or a mix of the two.

• Sewer demand would peak at 16 million to 20 million gallons per day. The development could partner with Patterson or Modesto for a regional waste- water solution.

The final report on the West Park negotiations is due April 8. The board may be in the position of voting on the project without knowing if the state bond money for the rail system will be approved, said Keith Boggs, deputy executive officer in the county's chief executive office.

Bee staff writer Tim Moran can be reached at tmoran@modbee.com or 578-2349.