Modesto to advance $154K to improvement district
Modesto plans to advance about $154,000 to the nonprofit group running the fledgling Downtown Modesto Community Benefit District, which will collect annual assessments from property owners for downtown improvements.
The council formed the district in September. The City Council on Tuesday is expected to approve an agreement between the city and the nonprofit Modesto Improvement Partnership to have the nonprofit operate and manage the district and carry out its management plan. A city report states the city also plans to advance the nonprofit operating expenses to cover January through March, which is before the district will start to receive assessments.
The Modesto Improvement Partnership is the name of the nonprofit formed to run the district. The MIP also owes the city $38,330 for money the city spent for consulting services to form the district. The MIP is expected to reimburse the city for that and the money it is advancing the nonprofit.
MIP board members are in the early stages of getting the district off the ground.
The council also is expected to:
▪ Rezone 45 vacant acres on Dale Road just north of Vintage Faire Mall for a proposed development consisting of a 170-lot single-family subdivision, upscale apartment complex and eventually stores and offices fronting Dale.
▪ Amend the Kiernan Business Park Specific Plan for a nearly 20-acre development across from Kaiser Modesto Medical Center that calls for a memory care facility for residents with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, senior apartments, and another medical facility. Developer Valley Ventures has not yet disclosed the name of the facility. Valley Ventures also is the developer on the 45-acre project. The specific plan amendment includes changing how stormwater is handled to a method city officials say is less expensive and consistent with Modesto’s new approach.
▪ Write off $438,634 in bad debt. A city report states $314,717 of that is for what FM Golf owed the city for when it managed the Creekside and Dryden golf courses. The city ended its contract with FM Golf in October 2013. The report states FM Golf filed for bankruptcy and the bankruptcy court notified the city in July there were no “funds available for distribution.” The rest of the bad debt is $123,917 Ernst & Associates Auctioneers owed the city for selling surplus city property in 2012 and not paying the city. The report states Ernst is bankrupt.
▪ Approve an agreement with ValleyCrest Golf Maintenance, which is partnering with KemperSports Management, for course management and maintenance at an annual cost of as much as $2.4 million. The agreement is for two years with three one-year extensions. ValleyCrest maintains the city’s three golf courses – 18-hole Creekside and Dryden and 9-hole Modesto Municipal – and Creekside operates the two 18-hole courses.
▪ Approve an agreement with the Del Rio CC Foundation to manage the Modesto Municipal Golf Course. The agreement is for two years with three one-year extensions. The foundation operates The First Tee of Central Valley – which helps young people build character through golf – at the course. While the city keeps the green fees, the foundation keeps revenues from the clubhouse, cart rentals and driving range.
The city is renewing agreements with ValleyCrest, KemperSports and the Del Rio CC Foundation as its figures out the long-term future of golf in Modesto and whether it can continue to operate three courses and the potential other uses of a course.
The council meets at 5:30 p.m. in Room 201, second floor, Tenth Street Place, 1010 10th St.
This story was originally published December 14, 2015 at 2:37 PM with the headline "Modesto to advance $154K to improvement district."