We knew there were plans to convert the base into some other use as soon as the county took over ownership in 2004. West Side officials knew some of what was being considered based on what supervisors asked for in their request for proposals. Patterson officials were on the special Crows Landing Steering Committee and advisory panel. Ultimately, that panel's advice was ignored.
As details of the West Park proposal became clearer, our level of concern grew dramatically. We heard the proposal for many trains a day going through downtown Patterson on their way to the air base.
In January, a county official discovered a map on a Web site not connected to the West Park group showing a massive development for the Crows Landing base — at least four times bigger than Patterson's current planning area. It included large tracts of housing and businesses along Interstate 5 near the Fink Road landfill.
That map quickly was removed from its Web site. And though it was unrelated to the West Park proposal, it woke us up to what we faced.
We are left with questions, and few answers:
Railroad — We are against having many trains going through our communities. The tracks are just 100 feet or so from a senior citizens complex in Patterson. There are countless other impacts. Why would it be profitable for the Port of Oakland to ship up to 500,000 containers 26 miles south of the nearest junction from the Bay Area on a dead-end line? Why would the Board of Supervisors select a plan that their own paid consultant said had little chance to succeed?
Commuter train — Some things don't add up. A commuter train to an area of 40,000 residents now, maybe 60,000 over the next 10 years? There's plenty of land available in the Lathrop area right on the tracks, so why build here? Of course, if the West Park group, owned by Sacramento developer Gerry Kamilos, is really thinking in terms of houses, well …
Some have suggested that Modesto and Turlock commuters will drive to Patterson and take the train to the Bay Area. If you've taken any of our country roads to the West Side, you must wonder who is going to pay for all the improvements such a commute would require.
Supervisors' decision — Last but not least, why did three members of the board — Jeff Grover, Tom Mayfield and Dick Monteith — overlook their own conditions in the request for proposals to pick a plan that was 3,000 acres bigger than the request? We've yet to hear any explanations of why they chose the one plan that seemed to defy good planning and tripled the size of the project using prime farmland.
Why, we must ask, do these three supervisors want to destroy the West Side with massive growth? They haven't given us any reason to trust their judgment so far.
Delphia, of Ceres, was a Patterson planning commissioner for eight years. E-mail him at columns@modbee.com.
