Modesto ballot measure proposed to establish growth limit along Kiernan Avenue
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Voters for Farmland aims to cap Modesto growth at Kiernan Avenue via 2028 ballot.
- Group seeks to preserve farmland and groundwater zones under threat from sprawl.
- Ballot measure would require signatures from 10% of Modesto’s registered voters.
A group has informed Modesto officials that it will organize a ballot initiative to make Kiernan Avenue the northern limit for city growth.
Voters for Farmland, in an email Friday to city and Stanislaus County officials, said the voter initiative will be placed on the 2028 ballot. Voter approval of the measure would establish an urban limit for Modesto along Kiernan Avenue, which runs from Highway 99 to McHenry Avenue, where it becomes Claribel Road.
The urban limit also would extend along Claribel Road to the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway tracks near Riverbank, said Denny Jackman, president of Voters for Farmland.
Jackman said Monday that development north of Kiernan would wipe out the county’s best area for groundwater recharge and also destroy high-quality farmland.
In Friday’s email, Voters for Farmland said the 1999 Visioning Project for Stanislaus County called for urban limit lines to set aside areas for open space, agriculture, very low-density housing and greenbelts. But the public hasn’t seen positive results from the Visioning Project in more than two decades.
“We will no longer wait to take action to secure the best farmland and water recharge area in Stanislaus County,” the group’s email said.
Jackman said that in a meeting with city staff last week, he was shown options for growth in north Modesto, and all three options crossed over the Kiernan alignment. “I thought, now is the time, with our initiative on the ballot in Riverbank next year. We want Riverbank folks to know there’s action to keep Modesto from going north of Kiernan,” Jackman said.
The former Modesto councilman and longtime opponent of sprawl said the group would prefer the council discuss farmland preservation and establish urban limits, rather than the issue being forced at the ballot box.
Riverbank residents also will consider a ballot measure in November 2026 that would empower voters to reject development proposals west of that city. Voters for Farmland, which opposes the 2,400-home River Walk project, conducted the signature drive for the Riverbank initiative.
The advocacy group will need to collect signatures from 10% of Modesto’s registered voters to get the measure on the 2028 ballot.
Councilmember Jeremiah Williams, whose district is directly south of Kiernan and Claribel, said he agrees with protecting prime farmland in Wood Colony, west of the city, but residents in that area should determine what land to preserve.
Williams said it would be good to protect cropland north of Kiernan by establishing a greenbelt. “It’s really up to the folks who live in that area. They should be making the decision about their land,” he said.
In a statement, Councilwoman Rosa Escutia-Braaton, whose district almost borders Kiernan, said the city’s community and economic development team is working on updating the Modesto General Plan and will host public workshops soon to discuss alternative land use developments in the community. Her statement said the city is looking at opportunities for business growth.
Jackman said the Modesto ballot measure may not have much effect on proposed development in the Salida Community Plan amendment, most of which is planned north of Kiernan Avenue and east of the Salida community. The 3,400-acre plan for industrial, commercial and residential projects was initially packaged as a ballot measure but then was approved by a county Board of Supervisors vote in 2007.
Jackman said Voters for Farmland is not disputing land-use plans outside Modesto that have been on the books for years. He noted that approval of the Salida plan will expire in 2032.
City considers water service for Salida plan
In July, Modesto agreed, at the county’s request, to oversee a study to evaluate the city’s ability to supply water service for the Salida community development plan, which is proposed mostly on the north side of Kiernan, east of Salida to Dale Road.
Scannell Properties has filed applications to develop up to 2.5 million square feet of warehouses and distribution centers at the northwest corner of Dale Road and Kiernan Avenue, either in the county jurisdiction or as an annexation to Modesto. The 145-acre development is going through environmental studies.
In a Facebook post in July, Voters for Farmland said Riverbank’s plan for River Walk would eliminate top-quality farmland and pave over an area highly suitable for groundwater recharge. “The City Council and Planning Commission are setting up to bring big city problems to town,” including traffic congestion, increased water and sewer rates and demand for costly police and fire services, the post said.
Jackman said Modesto has land available for thousands of homes, and there are areas with poor-quality soils east of Riverbank and Modesto to satisfy needs for additional housing.
This story was originally published September 2, 2025 at 3:20 PM.
