24-04-2025
Riverbank council declines more funds for homeless project. Backers address fears
The Riverbank City Council declined to kick in an additional $2.16 million for a complex that would serve people at risk of homelessness.
The 5-0 vote on Tuesday, April 22, followed nearly three hours of comments from backers and critics. The project would consist of 67 small houses and a support services building at Morrill and Oakdale roads.
In a joint application with a local nonprofit, the city is seeking a $20 million state grant to cover most of the cost. Tuesday's vote involved a request to waive the fees charged to all Riverbank developers for water, streets, parks and other infrastructure.
Councilmembers voted Feb. 25 to submit the grant request. On the fee waivers Tuesday, they said they needed more information about the project's timeline, finances and partnerships with service providers. Some were open to partially reducing the fees at some point.
The waivers are crucial to covering the $23 million total cost, said co-manager Brad Hawn, an engineer and former Modesto councilmember. The project already has $1.5 million in previous state funding. The $20 million would come from the Homekey program, part of the $6.4 billion bond measure approved by California voters in March 2024.
Hawn said he would seek other funding sources before the mid-May application deadline. He noted that the council vote actually means a $4.3 million loss, because the state would have matched the local money on top of the $20 million base grant.
The project has drawn protests from some residents of the Crossroads area, south and east of the site. Some said it would draw undesirable people and urged outright rejection by the council. Others said they had unanswered questions about the clientele and the services to be offered.
'This is not NIMBY-ism,' Crossroads resident and nurse Roseline Chandra said. 'This is about being informed.'
The acronym stands for 'not in my back yard,' a common term in housing debates in Stanislaus County and beyond. One of Tuesday's speakers had a slight variation on it, a T-shirt that said 'not in our back yard.' She declined to identify herself to The Modesto Bee.
The site would have detached homes of 643 square feet each, fully furnished. Each would have two bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen and other living space. Residents would pay subsidized rents tailored to their income and move to more conventional housing when ready.
The site would be run by Central Valley Community Resources, a nonprofit based in Riverbank. It would devote 34 units to foster children transitioning to adulthood. Others could go to younger families, mental health clients, military veterans and seniors.
The proponents said the site would accept people with addictions but forbid alcohol and illegal drug use. Residents also would get help with job searches, schooling, parenting, mental health and other needs. The complex would be gated and have an onsite manager. No one with a record of crimes against children would be accepted.
The five-acre site is just east of the Riverbank Sports Complex, which has fields for soccer and football. It has a vacant house that would be demolished. The land is already designated for high-density homes in the Crossroads West plan.
The original Crossroads stretches east from Oakdale Road and as far south as Claribel Road. It is mostly single-family houses at market prices and includes the first phase of the Crossroads shopping center.
Both sides in the debate have claimed to have collected hundreds of signatures for or against the project. About 80 people turned out Tuesday, some on the sidewalk outside the council chamber.
Opponents noted that only 26 homeless people were found in Riverbank's latest annual count, mostly single men. They said the complex might have good intentions but will end up drawing troublemakers from elsewhere.
Backers said the 2024 tally missed families who have to crowd into other homes, including students at Riverbank schools.
Crossroads resident Melina Molina, who works at its new Costco Wholesale store, spoke in support of the project. She said it will aid people dealing with addiction and other issues.
'You're worried about your children? Teach them compassion,' Molina said. 'Teach them that helping someone, giving them a chance, doesn't increase danger, it reduces it.'
The site would feature a playground, a dog park, a community garden and other outdoor amenities.
The fee waivers total about $31,000 per unit. Among them are $9,938 for the new demand on Riverbank's water system, $4,705 for parks, $4,021 for sewers, $3,921 for storm drainage and $3,658 for streets.
Without the fee waivers, the project would cost about $345,000 per unit. The proponents said they already have trimmed the amount by using manufactured homes with the same floorplan.
All five councilmembers said they continue to endorse the project but not the fee waivers as proposed. Some asked for more detailed designs and for an assurance that the service center would precede any houses. They also sought details on partnerships with county mental health providers and other entities. And they urged that Riverbank residents have priority over others.
'I know there's a need for this project, and I support a project like this,' Councilmember Stacy Call said, 'but I just think there's a lot of gaps.'
She was joined in the vote by Mayor Rachel Hernandez and members Cindy Fosi, John Pimentel and Luis Uribe.
The Morrill location is the second attempt for the project. The first was on city-owned land at Stanislaus Street and Jackson Avenue, but the council opted last year to use it for a future park. Fosi, Pimentel and Call were not in office at the time.
