Riverbank council backs out of 39-unit project for homeless. Here’s what neighbors prefer
The Riverbank City Council has dropped a 39-unit project for the unhoused in favor of putting a park on the site.
The housing would have gone on two vacant acres near the corner of Stanislaus Street and Jackson Avenue, in the northwest part of town.
The council agreed Tuesday night to pursue the park after residents said this area lacks such amenities. It does have Zerillo Park at its east edge near downtown, but no other parks are in the mile-long stretch to the northwestern city limit.
The city purchased the land for $550,000 in 2022 and asked for proposals from housing developers. It chose a group that includes Brad Hawn, a former Modesto councilman who is active in the cause.
The $13 million project would have provided transitional housing for about 120 people in studios and one- and two-bedroom units. A community center would have had services for residents with mental health issues, foster children entering adulthood, and other clients.
State has $6.4 billion from ballot measure
The group planned to seek funding from a $6.4 billion bond measure approved by California voters in March for housing and mental health.
Hawn spoke to the Riverbank council after four of the five members indicated they would not support the project. “It’s your city,” he said. “It’s not my city. You guys need to do what you need to do.”
Local housing advocate Deanna Garcia was more critical. She noted the irony of preferring a park for a site that could have housed families who sometimes sleep at parks.
“What do we have here? Thirty-nine units for children to actually call home,” Garcia said.
Councilwoman Darlene Barber-Martinez recused herself from the discussion due to a conflict of interest. She is CEO of Central Valley Community Resources, the nonprofit that would have managed the housing.
Park has $200,000 toward cost so far
The park option had support from Mayor Richard O’Brien and Council Members Leanne Jones-Cruz, Rachel Hernandez and Luis Uribe. They did not take a formal vote but did direct the city staff to work on the plan. The council earlier set aside $200,000 toward the effort but has not approved a specific park design.
The site is in Jones-Cruz’s district. She said she supports such housing in Riverbank but heard from many residents about the need for the park.
“By no means am I ever hearing ‘not in our neighborhood,’” Jones-Cruz said. “That’s not where these folks are at. These folks want a park in their neighborhood.”
The northwest residents at the meeting included Rich Holmer, who served as city manager from 1995 to 2011. He said a park is needed in part because residents no longer can use the field and courts during nonschool hours at Rio Altura Elementary School. Administrators barred this at the Stanislaus Street campus due to liability concerns.
A state-required housing plan says Riverbank must build at least 3,591 units over the next eight years. That includes 672 for people defined as “low-income” and 970 more for those who are “very low-income.”
‘We can’t take away a green space’
O’Brien mentioned the would-be homeless project in his State of the City speech in April. He said it would aid Riverbank in “making huge strides towards achieving housing for all.”
On Tuesday, the mayor said he would support such projects at better sites. “We need the housing ... but we can’t take away a green space.”
The rejected plan fit Riverbank’s rules for “tiny homes,” intended to reduce construction costs. Each unit would actually be apartment-size but have its own foundation. The site would have had 16 studios, eight one-bedroom units and 15 two-bedroom units.
Residents would live there rent-free while working toward conventional housing. The site would have community garden beds, a gazebo and shaded outdoor tables.
The city in June approved 38 tiny homes behind a Chinese restaurant called Lucky House, about a quarter-mile to the southeast. The eatery’s owners are still seeking financing.
