Squatters removed, abandoned house torn down as Stanislaus County focuses on islands
Stanislaus County took action Monday to remove blight and start making improvements to a neighborhood in southwest Modesto.
About 12 to 15 people were squatting on a residential parcel at Kenneth and Hays streets, south of Robertson Road.
A demolition crew tore down an abandoned house filled with refuse.
Doug Holcomb, manager for housing and homeless services, said the people living illegally on the site were signed up for shelter services and began paperwork making them eligible for other assistance.
Bob Garner, a neighbor, said the man who previously owned the house died. A family member took possession of the home and then left. County officials said people began living on the property in unsanitary and dangerous conditions, including a child who visited the place during the day.
Garner pointed to where a fire started and scorched his fence. During the cleanup Monday, an old motor home was pulled away from the property.
County Board Chairman Terry Withrow, whose district includes the Robertson Road area, said the county will clear the site and work with the Housing Authority to build some new housing units that residents can afford. The department of Housing and Urban Development has a lien on the parcel.
Withrow said he promised action to Garner when the longtime resident complained about the situation a year ago. A code enforcement process was initiated. If the county project goes as planned, affordable housing units will replace the blight at the street corner.
Withrow convened a special board meeting near the site this month as the county brings attention to the needs of unincorporated islands, or pieces of county territory that are surrounded by city neighborhoods. Often, county islands are lacking urban improvements such as curb, sidewalks, adequate drainage, lighting and water and sewer hookups for residents.
The county Board of Supervisors held additional special meetings in the field Monday to learn about the needs of county islands in the airport neighborhood, Modesto’s Beyer Park area and east Riverbank.
Withrow said board members are well aware of the county islands in their respective districts, but the field trips let them see the challenges in other districts.
Board members made a 45-minute stop at Oregon Park in the airport neighborhood to talk about ongoing improvements and needs for the community.
The neighborhood gets water service from Modesto, and a wastewater main was installed, though the costs of connecting service lines has kept many homes from starting wastewater service, residents said. County staff said residents possibly don’t know about assistance that is available.
Public Works Director David Leamon said a $3.2 million sidewalk project is in the works for the airport neighborhood, which will make it easier for children to walk to school.
Board Member Mani Grewal said a total of $18 million in infrastructure needs has been identified for the neighborhood.
The county plans to spend $50 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds for improvements in unincorporated islands. A total of $650 million in infrastructure needs has been identified for those areas.
The county has arranged for a survey asking community members where the ARPA funds should be invested. Workshops will be held in the coming weeks.
More learned about ‘Sylvan Island’
A county pocket called “Sylvan Island”, near Coffee Road and Thorsen Avenue, includes 275 parcels surrounded by city neighborhoods. The homes in Sylvan Island are connected to city water but septic tanks are still in use. The area is in Supervisor Buck Condit’s district.
County staff said some people living in county islands don’t want to be annexed. The county would most likely survey residents before developing an improvement project for Sylvan Island.
The county group also made a stop at Oasis of Hope Church on Claus Road in Riverbank, near Santa Fe Street, just south of Highway 108. The city of Riverbank has grown to the east of the county pocket. The island includes 37 parcels and could use an estimated $6.7 million in improvements.
Stanislaus County leaders will keep studying the needs in the five supervisorial districts and will continue seeking public input on necessary improvements. The county hopes to use the $50 million in ARPA funds as leverage for seeking additional funding from the federal and state governments.
This story was originally published May 17, 2022 at 7:38 AM.
