Los Banos council approves two residential developments

The City Council has approved the final development plans for two residential projects totaling 648 homes.

The first project, the Hill property, calls for 138 single-family detached residential lots on 24.4 acres between Center Avenue and Rainier Drive north of Pioneer Road and southeast of Los Banos Cemetery.

The property is part of the 92.25-acre East Center Area Plan annexed into the city in 2016. Another project in the area plan, the Villas subdivision north of the Hill property, is being discussed at the Planning Commission level.

The residential density is nearly six units per acre , and lot sizes for the single-family homes will range from 4,035 square feet to 10,300 square feet.

Senior Planner Stacy Souza Elms said the project is expected to attract families with varying incomes.

“It’s to provide a various range of lot sizes for various types of homebuyers, from the first-time homebuyer to a … seasoned-type buyer,” Souza Elms said.

The second residential project approved by the council is Southpointe at Regency Park.

The low- and medium-density Southpointe plan subdivides 97 out of 110 acres into 510 single-family detached residential homes, open space, public facilities and other amenities.

The project area sits between Place Road and the San Luis Canal, north of the finished Verona and Mission Estates subdivisions and Pacheco High School.

The project is part of a larger East Los Banos Area Plan, which includes the high school.

In addition to the housing developments approved Wednesday, the City Council endorsed levy assessments for Los Banos’ 18 landscape and lighting districts.

The landscape and lighting districts provide for the maintenance of improvements in each district, including street lighting, landscaped street medians and rights of way, storm drainage, parks and recreational facilities, street trees, walls, sidewalks and signs.

According to the assessment report, the proposed assessment for the 2016-17 fiscal year rose for districts 3, 7, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16 and 19.

That includes the subdivisions of Los Banos Gardens Units 2, 3, 4 and 5, Valley Meadows, Meadowlands, Avalon, Verona, Mission Estates, Northgate at Regency Park, Mission Village North, Magnolia Grove, Senior Homes Villages and Talbott Park Drainage Area.

The fund balances and changes to assessments to the districts are available at the city’s website, www.losbanos.org.

This story was originally published June 3, 2016 at 7:30 PM with the headline "Los Banos council approves two residential developments."