Airport Way just off of the 120 Bypass is slowly emerging as a magnet for highway travelers seeking fuel, food and/or a place to sleep.

Rotten Robbie’s finally received City Council approval Tuesday for their project to build a 4,800-square-foot convenience store with 16 fueling pumps on the southeast corner of Airport Way at Wawona Street.

When completed sometime within the next two years it will bring the number of gas stations near the interchange to three and the number of dining options to 11.  A 101-room, four-story hotel with 75,196 square feet has also been proposed for 2.2 acres on the southeast corner of Daniels Street and Fishback Road.

The Airport/120 Bypass area is the second highest concentration of businesses in Manteca that target highway travelers as well as local residents. The Yosemite Avenue area east and west of Highway 99 has 25 dining options, five gas stations, a Tesla Supercharger station, and three hotels. A fourth hotel — Tru by Hilton — is now under construction on Northwoods Avenue featuring 78 rooms in four stories.

The area around the Airport Way/120 Bypass interchange has the potential to exceed that. Not only is there vacant commercial zoned property on both southern quadrants of the interchange yet to be developed, but there is also vacant land to the north. That is in addition to nearly 100 acres the city wants to develop into a family entertainment zone likely to include more restaurants.

Plans are moving ahead for a brew pub on Daniels on city-owned land that is part of the Big League Dreams sports complex. All of that is in addition to the 500-room self-contained indoor waterpark resort operated by Great Wolf.

The Rotten Robbie’s was originally rejected by the Planning Commission on a 4-1 vote over concerns about traffic movements and the impact a diesel fueling island apable of service large trucks.

The applicant filed an appeal and worked with the city to address the concerns.

As a result the diesel fueling island was removed as was a northern driveway deemed too close to the Wawona and Airport Way intersection.

The project will also make way for traffic signals to be installed at Airport Way and Wawona.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwuatt@mantecabulletin.com