Results are in: Here’s what Modesto should get next, according to Bee readers
Modesto residents want a roller rink for their city, according to an informal reader survey conducted by The Bee.
Of the 6,075 people who participated in the Bee’s poll, 52%, or 3,504 respondents, voted for the roller rink. Other options, in order of popularity, included a new baseball stadium, which garnered 27% of the vote, a Chick-Fil-A, popular with 7% of voters, a permanent ice skating rink, at 5%, a Cheesecake Factory, which took 4%, and a HomeGoods store, at 3%.
The city has been thinking about building an outdoor roller rink for months now, most recently considering two new sites for the rink — the Tuolumne River Regional Park’s gateway parcel near downtown and the proposed Sutton Park, which the city expects to build one day near Johansen High School.
Previously, they considered placing the rink at East La Loma Park, which would have made for a faster and cheaper construction process, but the city has faced opposition from some of the residents of the nearby Oakridge townhouses.
Modesto Parks Planning and Development Manager Nathan Houx told The Bee in August that he could not yet say when city officials would have a rink proposal to bring to the City Council for approval.
Those who voted for a new ballpark can look toward a new proposal from a group of local business and community leaders. The Great Valley Coliseum would be a multi-use sports complex and new home for the Modesto Nuts. The stadium would offer room for both soccer games and concerts and other events.
The new stadium would be built downtown, in a four-block parcel between 10th and 12th and D and F streets. The stadium would replace John Thurman Field, the Nuts’ current home in west Modesto. Backers are currently waiting on city and county officials to review their plans, as the field would require government funding to be built.
Stadium proponents say it would help make Modesto a more attractive, desirable city and draw high-skilled, high-wage workers and spur the building of offices, housing and stores in downtown. “It’s much more than building a new ballpark or facility downtown,” Lynn Dickerson, the former Gallo Center for the Arts CEO and a member of the stadium project team told the Bee. “We want to do this because we think it’s something that will make our community better and stronger.”
Other community input
Another 3% of respondents contacted the Bee directly to suggest new developments.
Ricky Smith suggested a concert venue “to attract big name headline acts” to attract fans from across the Central Valley and put Modesto on the map.
“It would be a huge source of revenue for the city and could also bring new jobs,” Smith said in an email. “Residents of the City of Modesto would take a lot of pride in having our very own concert venue. More and more people are moving to the Central Valley and we need something to attract the big name current acts and show.”
Jeff Brown agreed with the need for a new downtown stadium, and also suggested the city build new residential towers to increase tax revenues, and help out stores and restaurants in the surrounding area.
Other residents wrote in to suggest tennis court improvements, parks upgrades and a library renovation.
Charles Doll expressed his enthusiasm for a new ballpark and events center, calling it an obvious choice for how to change a community and attract new residents and visitors alike.
“I would ask why you can’t have all of the above,” Doll wrote in an email. “Modesto needs help, so let’s do them all.”
This story was produced with financial support from the Stanislaus Community Foundation, along with the GroundTruth Project’s Report for America initiative. The Modesto Bee maintains full editorial control of this work.
To help fund The Bee’s economic development reporter with Report for America, go to https://bit.ly/ModestoBeeRFA
This story was originally published December 29, 2021 at 7:00 AM.
