Will Manteca get a Trader Joe’s anytime soon?

That was one of the questions asked at Wednesday’s Senior Roundtable conducted by Mayor Gary Singh for those 50 and older at the Manteca Senior Center.

“We are on the list,” he said, addressing the question at the conclusion of his presentation that covered everything from Manteca City Council’s goals & priorities to current and future projects.

The Tracy Trader Joe’s just opened, in part, according to Singh, the building already being in place.

He also responded to another question by one of the seniors concerning the revitalization of downtown.

“We finally have a Business District – like Lodi and Livermore – where business owners pay into fund dedicated to (developing) downtown, with its own board of directors,” said Singh, who added that this was a long time in the making.

As always, public safety is the No. 1 concern for elected leaders.

Singh listed that along with economic development, an update on infrastructure and facilities, long-term fiscal sustainability, and homelessness and housing.

The voter-approved Measure Q will help with street / road maintenance along with police needs and equipment – as in more police cars (“Our officers had to double up on vehicles,” he noted) – and funding for the future Fire Station 6, planned for the southwest area of town on Woodward Avenue and Joshua Street.

Measure Q will also help with fund plans for a new Manteca Police Department at 682 S. Main St. “The one we have right now was built in 1976 when we were much smaller (of a city),” said Singh.

The location of the police station was initially planned for the Navigation Center for the homeless. The City of Manteca, instead, will focus on the current place at 555 Industrial Park Dr., making improvements to the operations of the His Way Refuge Center. Services will consist of the on-site behavioral health services.

Among the current projects taking place, Singh noted, was the Downtown Community Garden – a partnership with Urban Greens – and Woodward Park Splash Pad.

“Construction has already started,” he said of the latter.

Road projects consisted of the Main Street Bike & Pedestrian – Main Street from Northgate and Alameda – and Woodward Avenue, between Galleria Drive and Airport Way as part of the Machado Ranch subdivision.

The developer there is widening the road, installing underground utilities, and putting in a new roundabout at Bella Terra Drive.

“Putting in the infrastructure is no longer an option for developers,” said Singh, pointing out road work along new development in Manteca used to be hodgepodge in the past because of that.

The FEZ – acronym for Family Entertainment Zone – is among the recently discussed plans in the Big League Dreams area (near Costco and Great Wolf Lodge on Highway 120 bypass).

Singh said the growing infrastructure such as the recently completed McKinley Avenue off ramp coupled with plans to extend Milo Candini Drive from Daniels Street to Yosemite Avenue will be among the key components to this 140- to 150- acre development designed to be a regional hub for entertainment, dining, shopping, and recreation.

Other infrastructure projects Singh mentioned include the highway-to-highway 99-120 Connector, the new Austin Road overcrossing, and the Airport Way Diverging Diamond similar to that at Union Road and Highway 120.

In addition, he talked about the Manteca Crossing shopping center taking a leap forward with the IKEA Design Center and Crumbl Cookies being among the new tenants.

“We’ve been growing since the ‘80s,” Singh said of Manteca’s population. “At our current pace of 95,000 strong, we will outgrow Tracy.”