Downtown upgrade on Riverbank horizon

A revamped vision for breathing new life into downtown will go before city leaders Tuesday, including the idea of an overpass to future shops and apartments at the former cannery site.

Other City Council items range from Stanislaus River access in the River Cove development and bad-check penalties to drought restrictions.

People will need a way from downtown to vibrant development at the cannery property, now separated by railroad tracks. The city staff estimates the cost of an underpass, which would be more useful if carrying cars, at $8 million, while a pedestrian crossing over the tracks could cost about $3 million. Planning commissioners in March recommended an overpass at Santa Fe Street.

The City Council also will consider rezoning more than 18 acres in hopes of accommodating new homes and businesses. That would help update a document called the Riverbank Downtown Specific Plan, begun in 2006 before the economic collapse and before state leaders did away with redevelopment agencies, which would have paid for most of the future improvements.

Another idea for a pedestrian bridge over the river to Jacob Myers Park has been dropped, a report says, partly because it’s not clear how neighbors in the River Cove subdivision would react.

River Cove already is overrun in summer months by people who park and walk to the river. Neighbors complain about vandalism, trespassing and litter, and potential solutions will go before the council Tuesday as well.

City staff suggests increasing trash pickup and patrolling by sheriff’s deputies and private security. More drastic options would include signs prohibiting parking unless drivers have permits, which might be given only to residents and guests, or banning river access altogether. Parking permits would not stop cars from driving through River Cove to drop off people, rafts and other equipment, while posting “no trespassing” signs along a berm would eliminate river access for neighbors along with everyone else.

The city will send letters to River Cove residents and enlist volunteers to poll neighbors. Results would be presented when the issue resurfaces before the council in September, a report suggests.

Other agenda items:

▪ A presentation on Gov. Jerry Brown’s edict reducing urban water use from 25 percent to 35 percent, depending on the agency, because of the prolonged drought.

▪ Setting a goal of stockpiling 15 percent of city spending in a savings account, up from the current 10 percent target. A previous council adopted the 15 percent goal but repeatedly failed to reach it, with reserves falling as low as 3 percent of the city’s general fund in the 1990s and never climbing higher than 12 percent before the recession. In 2008, the council lowered the target to 10 percent, but a risk assessment tool says 25 percent to 31 percent would be smarter.

▪ Raising fees for writing bad checks to the city, from $25 for a first offense and $35 for future violations to $35 and $45, respectively. The proposed bump responds to fees recently raised by Westamerica Bank, which processes city checks.

Tuesday’s council meeting starts at 6 in the chamber at 6707 Third St. For more information, go to riverbank.org/CityCouncil.

This story was originally published April 13, 2015 at 4:47 PM with the headline "Downtown upgrade on Riverbank horizon."