City Council vote opens spot for 600 Modesto apartments. Here’s where they’ll be built
The Modesto City Council on Tuesday approved the rezoning of 67 acres in the Kiernan Business Park that will facilitate the construction of 600 to 700 apartments.
Council members voted unanimously to pass a series of resolutions that will amend the city’s general plan and change the land-use designation of the 67-acre parcel from business park to mixed use. Kiernan Business park, a property located north of Pelandale Avenue and east of Dale Road, contains medical, office and retail buildings.
Planning manager Steve Mitchell told council members that since the business park’s adoption in 1997, different sectors of the 614-acre property have been designated for different purposes, such as regional commercial use and to hold a medical campus.
Changing the designation of the area to a mixed-use development will allow for 15 or 16 residential dwellings per acre. Mitchell said current trends for business parks allow for mixed-use development to facilitate housing — specifically multifamily housing — alongside retail and office space.
Dave Romano, representing Grupe Huber, a Stockton-based developer, said he was approached by the firm last year to consider multifamily housing in the business park, from one- to three-story walk-up apartments to small houses.
He said his clients were encouraged by the city’s proactive stance to rezone a large parcel of the business park and amend its general plan in the process.
“Promoting that to us and making these changes to the documents motivated my clients to go out and talk to adjacent landowners and get another 20 acres in contract,” he said. “They’re really excited about the prospect of doing something here that’s not only high-end but unique and new to Modesto.”
Kevin Huber, Grupe Huber’s CEO, told council members they should be excited about the prospects for the project, which is set to add about 600 to 700 market-rate apartments to the business park.
“We envision, really, a village,” he said.
Council member Rosa Escutia-Braaton said she thinks the project is “innovative” and a good fit for the area.
The resolution also changes Bangs Avenue from a four-lane major collector street to a two-lane collector street to account for the new developments and zoning changes.
Huber said the next steps for the project are site planning, and then further development and construction leading into and in 2023.
To help fund The Bee’s economic development reporter with Report for America, go to https://bit.ly/ModestoBeeRFAThis 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.
This story was originally published April 13, 2022 at 12:03 PM.
