Six months ago, it looked plausible Manteca voters on Nov. 5 would have been asked to pass judgment on the city’s general plan update designed to guide growth for the next 20 years.

Delicato Vineyards had collected enough signatures of registered city voters to force a referendum on the general plan the City Council adopted in July.

The subsequent Delicato settlement the winery and elected leaders agreed to prompted the winery not to move forward with the referendum.

The winery also dropped litigation.

As a result instead of voters potentially scrambling growth plans, municipal staff is now moving forward with processing plans for a 763-home subdivision along Lovelace Road between Airport Way and Union Road.

The settlement created a sightly larger industrial zoning footprint and slightly reduced the number of homes that can ultimately be built.

It also designated 50 acres on the southeast corner of Lovelace and Union roads for the city’s next community park.

The park will serve to buffer the winery from residential growth and vice versa.

The terms of the settlement required tweaks to planning that will allow more robust business park development as well as create a more effective corridor for the extension of Road to Highway 99.

Once it reaches Highway 99, one option will be to build it as an overpass with no ramps to help access future growth in areas northeast of Manteca the general plan targets for growth.

The other option would be to build a full blown interchange.

Both the Lovelace residential project, the park site, and other area zoned for industrial and housing would have to be annexed to the city.

While those endeavors are at the start of the planning process, the third tract home neighborhood north of Lathrop Road is moving forward.

It’s a 177-home development abutting Del Webb along Airport Way.

Dubbed Kiper Homes at Indelicato, the tract home development involves 40 acres that are now planted in almonds and row crops to be annexed to the city.

The project includes 81 lots that are 50 by 100 feet and 92 lots that are 60 by 100 feet.

There will be two access points to Airport Way north of Daisywood.

The neighborhood will include just over three acres for a neighborhood park that will be expanded when land to the north is annexed and developed into housing as well.

There are several streets in the neighborhood that will be stubbed  to the north to connect with future development.

The tract home development could add 538 residents to Manteca based on current housing yields.

The homes could also add 109 students to Manteca Unified.

There is no neighborhood school in the area.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com