Alfa Broderick: Why turn north Modesto farm land into more housing?

On my last doctor visit to Kaiser recently, I was sad to see what is left of the beautiful farms and farmland that used to occupy that area on Dale Road. I was shocked! What a void!

I read with dismay in The Bee of Sept. 14 about the plans for that land. The idea is to develop 20 acres of the best land around – where the most beautiful, fertile soil produced the best vegetables and fruits for decades – and turn it into single-family homes, senior housing, a hotel and a restaurant.

I must be missing something about the whole project. How is it that Modesto residents are forced to cut water consumption and allowed to water our lawns just twice a week even in 100-plus temperatures, while all the agriculture already established in that area for decades is destroyed?

This project is an invitation to all kinds of new residents and visitors (including undesirables) to move here. I’d bet 20 acres of houses and other buildings will use more water than the farming that went on in that area. My question: Where is the water for this ambitious development going to come from?

This story was originally published September 29, 2015 at 12:56 PM with the headline "Alfa Broderick: Why turn north Modesto farm land into more housing?."