Some Merced residents caution against expanding north. Here’s why leaders say they must
In a bid to address its housing woes, the City of Merced is seeking to expand north.
The City Council on Monday unanimously voted to commence with an official annexation application. If approved, it would boost Merced’s territory by 1,023 acres located northwest of Lake Yosemite.
Within that area is a proposed 764-acre mixed use development project titled Yosemite Lake Village. The project, which would add about 2,708 much-needed units to Merced’s housing stock, triggered a debate much like one that took place in the City Council Chambers two weeks earlier.
The subject of that debate was a nearby 151-acre annexation proposal, situated at the west side of G Street at Old Lake Road. With the exception of Councilmember Jesse Ornelas, the council voted to support that project, too.
But the vote of confidence followed a conversation between members of the public and City Council that aired a spectrum of opinions on Merced’s future growth.
Residents and elected officials voiced varying viewpoints and concerns running the gamut on related issues like urban sprawl, housing density, affordable housing and traffic congestion.
Those concerns were echoed Monday night, underscoring the questions local decision makers must grapple with as they attempt to address the city’s low vacancy rate and rapid population growth.
Several residents living in proximity to the site spoke at Monday’s council meeting, urging the council to withhold their support from initiating the annexation process.
Multiple speakers said the project is premature and that the city should prioritize developing areas already within its bounds before expanding outward.
“It is simply just poor planning for our city to be stretched,” Merced resident Derek Price said while addressing the City Council. “I encourage you to vote against overextending our city’s limited resources with this project.”
Reiterating the comments of his neighbors, Price said that in skipping over areas that aren’t developed, the city would overextend resources that are already strained, such as water, transportation, education and the police department.
Other speakers raised concerns about the project creating more sprawl, while areas in the city center remain undeveloped.
Sheng Xiong, a resident and policy advocate with Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability, noted the growing number of north Merced annexation projects.
Xiong advocated that the city consider the needs of existing unincorporated communities and south Merced, who could benefit from the improvements going into connecting new annexation projects with the city’s existing infrastructure.
“There are people in existing disadvantaged unincorporated communities that still need access to these types of infrastructure,” Xiong said.
A majority of council members voiced some level hesitancy about elements of the annexation proposal.
Perhaps best representing the council’s overall stance, Mayor Matt Serratto stated that he was “tentatively in support” of the plan. He acknowledged the merits of points made by concerned residents — while also noting that increasing housing units, especially close by to UC Merced, is prudent.
The selling point in securing a unanimous City Council vote proved to be that the Lake Yosemite Village project would bring necessary homes to a city in crisis, where housing is in short supply.
“I think that this is a very palatable project, I think it helps with our housing crisis here in general,” Councilmember Delray Shelton said.
Affordable housing, open space, shopping included
A majority of the Lake Yosemite Village project site is currently owned by the Gallo family, as well as other property owners like the Merced Golf and Country Club.
Community and council members in support of the project lauded it for a novel approach to development
The over 2,700 proposed housing units are imagined as several types geared toward entry-level housing, traditional residential housing and homes for working professionals. Housing densities are split between low and medium.
The project also includes 690 “active adult” units, typically age restricted for residents over 55-years-old. According to the project applicants, the proposed active adult housing would be a first for the city if it moves forward.
As the active adult classification implies mobility and the ability to live independently, pedestrian and bicycle paths are designed throughout the proposed community to encourage non-vehicular traffic.
The variety of housing types are intended to establish a multi-generational project that fosters a socioeconomically-mixed neighborhood, project documents say.
About a third of the project’s units are proposed as affordable housing units for moderate-income earners, while 5% are proposed as low, 2% as very low and 3% as extremely low, according to planning documents.
Affordable housing units have fixed costs so that very low to moderate income-level earners spend no more than 30% of their wages on housing.
Councilmember Fernando Echevarria called the project one of the “greatest housing developments he’s seen,” citing the combination of both market rate and affordable housing, housing types geared toward different types of residents and open areas for those residents to gather together.
Nearly half of the annexation site is reserved for open space, parks and trails, including 383 acres for habitat conservation. The 564 acres of open space would be for the use of not just Yosemite Lake Village residents, but for all in the Merced area.
“I can tell you right now, that’s special,” Echevarria said of the conservation area. “This will be a conservation area for future generations to enjoy.”
Another eight acres of Yosemite Lake Village are planned as a neighborhood commercial area that will hopefully attract coffee shops and restaurants, project applicants say.
Each area of the project is imagined as being connected by pedestrian and bicycle trails that attach to city-wide systems.
Since the City Council gave its approval Monday, the 12 to 18-month annexation application process can begin.
The project will ultimately be considered by the City Council during scheduled public hearings and finally approved or denied by the City and Merced County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO).
