Monday, Jul. 21, 2008

Town houses before Oakdale council tonight

OAKDALE -- Few people could have seen this coming: A builder will seek the Oakdale City Council's permission tonight to develop 14 two-unit town houses near North Yosemite Avenue.

The Planning Commission recommended the council reject the project, in part because nearly a third of the 12-acre project would need to be rezoned from commercial to multifamily residential.

The town houses would house two families apiece on the back side of the Cost Less shopping center, on the north edge of the city. A house there would remain.

The movie theater at the rear of the center would be torn down to accommodate the project, according to plans provided to the city by prominent Oakdale commercial builder Rich Murdoch. Murdoch is the applicant, but the property is owned by companies based in San Francisco:

Second Oakdale Shopping Center LLC bought a one-acre parcel for $675,000 in January 2007, taking out a $438,000 loan.

Oakdale Shopping Center bought two parcels (12 acres total) in 2002, and its taxable value is $2.6 million. The deed was sent to 331 Filbert St., the same San Francisco address listed for Second Oakdale Shopping Center.

The Cost Less grocery store anchors the 29-year-old center, which is dotted with vacant storefronts. Much of the center would remain intact, according to the plans, allowing town home residents to walk to a full-service grocery store, restaurants and shops.

The proposed residential project is one of few moving ahead in the Northern San Joaquin Valley, where the housing industry collapse has driven numerous builders into bankruptcy and caused record foreclosures. That's created a glut of empty homes.

Some residents adjacent to the shopping center complained to the Planning Commission that people in the two- and three-story town houses could peer into their back yards and that traffic problems would increase.

But there also has been praise for the project because it could cut car trips by bringing residents and retailers together. It's also an example of "infill," which is desired by the city because it's on land encircled by development rather than outside the city limits.

The L-shaped shopping center faces North Yosemite Avenue, and the town houses would be built on the south and west perimeters. A 10-foot-tall block wall would separate the homes from the stores, with a landscaped walkway on the residential side of the wall.

Town house owners would pay into landscape and lighting districts to maintain the property. Each town house would have its own garage and driveway.

The City Council meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at 277 North Seventh Ave.

Bee staff writer Richard T. Estrada can be reached at restrada@modbee.com or 578-2304.