Council takes up downtown Modesto vision: 1,550 new homes, walkable streets and more
A master plan for downtown Modesto – adding multi-story housing and other urban touches to the district – could take its first step toward approval Monday, June 1.
The City Council’s Economic Development Committee will discuss the 20-year vision in a 2 p.m. meeting to be conducted remotely because of COVID-19.
The plan was drafted by Opticos Design of Berkeley on a $210,000 contract with the city. The firm gathered ideas at public meetings starting in July 2019 and laid out the basics in an online slide show in December.
The draft that resulted is a 147-page document with specific numbers for housing units and other uses at various sites. Construction will depend on developers coming forward with detailed plans and funding in the future.
The plan area includes the diagonal street grid laid out by the Central Pacific Railroad when it founded Modesto in 1870. It takes in the part of west Modesto close to Highway 99.
The committee will consider referring the plan to the Modesto Planning Commission, scheduled to take it up July. The full council could consider final approval in July or August.
1,550 homes and more
Downtown has a large number of office workers and a thriving restaurant scene. Two movie houses and the Gallo Center for the Arts provide entertainment (closed by the pandemic for now).
But the district has only 1 percent of Modesto’s housing units, at a time when many cities are enjoying a revival of urban living. The only large apartment complexes are Ralston Tower and Tower Park, both for seniors and located on 17th Street.
Downtown was the retail hub for decades. McHenry Avenue started drawing the shoppers in the 1950s, the Vintage Faire Mall in the 1970s.
The plan envisions 1,550 new homes, many of them above ground-floor retail or offices. The key points:
- The largest concentration, 850 homes, would be close to the old train depot at Ninth and J streets that will serve a new branch of the Altamont Corridor Express to the Bay Area. The first train could run as soon as 2022.
- Another 398 homes could be built on Ninth and Tenth streets between D and F streets. Tenth could be transformed into a pedestrian-friendly route to the Tuolumne River. A new ballpark for the Modesto Nuts is suggested for 10th and F. The minor league baseball team has not announced any plan to move from John Thurman Field, half a mile from downtown.
- The Stanislaus County Courthouse and adjacent jail could be transformed into 72 housing units at 11th and H streets. The jail no longer houses inmates. A new courthouse is expected to rise by 2023 at Ninth and H streets.
- West Modesto could get 40 housing units above ground-floor businesses. Two underused corners on H street are possibilities. Some of the commenters last fall urged upgrades to Cesar Chavez Park, at 4th and G. The city in February got an $8.5 million state grant to add a pool and other enhancements.
- Another 190 homes could be built at scattered downtown sites.
Easier walking, cycling
The plan calls for bicycle lanes, sidewalk widening and other efforts to reduce the dominance of motor vehicles downtown. These routes could connect with the river and Dry Creek trails, and with the Virginia Corridor, which stretches into north Modesto.
The draft suggests restoring two-way traffic on G, H, K, L and 17th streets because the one-way flow is tough on pedestrians and cyclists. The lettered streets are key connectors to and from Highway 99.
The plan urges the city to make better use of parking garages that often have many vacant spaces because street parking is free. A few garages might be built to serve the new homes and business. The plan discourages the surface parking lots now common in the district.
Committee kickoff
The council committee meeting Monday is made up of Mayor Ted Brandvold and Councilmen Tony Madrigal and Doug Ridenour.
The meeting will be live-streamed on the city website, www.modestogov.com. The public can submit comments by email before or during the meeting at ccmeetings@modestogov.com.
The plan is scheduled for the Planning Commission on July 6 and the full council on July 14 or Aug. 5. The latter date is preferred if it means being able to do a live meeting, city spokesman Thomas Reeves said.
The plan aims to create “a vibrant, attractive and welcoming downtown,” said a memo to the council from Jaylen French, director of community and economic development.
“This will be achieved through the provision of substantial new residential development opportunities, as a critical mass of downtown residents will be needed in order to create a ‘24-hour’ city center.”
This story was originally published May 30, 2020 at 11:24 AM.
