What to be, or not to be.

Is it worth $1 million to answer that question for downtown Manteca?

The answer is no, if those that stand to profit the most from finding the answer aren’t willing to pony up.

What this is in reference to is the sixth version of the same old song — “The Downtown Plan.”

It’s a framework, if you will, for the transformation of downtown to serve as the heart of a city barreling toward 100,000 residents and beyond.

If it works, not only will it create a clear vision for downtown but it will help put in rules and processes that can make the transition as seamless and least expensive as possible in terms of  approving private sector upgrades.

Downtown property owners and businesses are deciding whether they like the concept of creating a united front to market and make downtown more appealing to consumers. That includes a willingness to assess themselves to accomplish those goals.

What is going on now is a survey rather than the actual vote to form a Property/Business Improvement District (PBID) in downtown Manteca.

 It would be similar to the PBIDs already in place in other Northern San Joaquin Valley and East Bay cities that have successfully made the transition from former retail hub to teeming gathering and specialty shopping areas.

The current City Council has no stomach to add to the piles of money squandered over the years on downtown planning.

The plans went nowhere after large amounts of money was spent because when all was said and done, the people that had to support the plans the most to make them work — downtown businesses and property owners — as a whole, were not onboard.

This time around, the council is not making the same mistake as their predecessors.

They are gauging the willingness — as opposed to the lip service — of downtown concerns to see whether they will commit to putting some skin in the game.

If that doesn’t lead to a PBID being formed, the council isn’t going to spend a single dime creating a plan with a framework of how to implement it.

That $1 million collected from development services fees paid by growth would then be put to other uses to promote economic development.

And there is no better place to invest tax dollars in pursuit of a community gathering place than the family entertainment zone (FEZ).

The FEZ is 100 acres of city-owned property bookended by the Great Wolf indoor waterpark resort and the Big League Dreams sports complex.

The vision the city has is to create a regional hub for family entertainment with dining options, leisure pursuits, and such.

If that sounds somewhat familiar, it is. That has been part of the premise for every downtown plan since the mid-1960s when it became clear that shopping malls were transforming the economic landscape.

The FEZ, unlike downtown, is almost a blank canvas.

It already has two vibrant anchors — Great Wolf and BLD.

It can build on the retail synergy of the adjacent Costco-Stadium Retail Center.

It has a traffic circulation plan in place,

That traffic circulation plan is implemented with the McKinley interchange on the 120 Bypass plus future plans to punch Milo Candini Drive through to Yosemite Avenue.

Perhaps most important of all, there is one property owner — the City of Manteca — that has a vested interest in making something happen.

The original FEZ plan called for taking advantage of the high water table to create a large mandate lake circled with restaurants and other venues connected by a promenade.

The original, current — and one assumes the soon-to-be-updated plan for FEZ will cotinine to build active participant recreation ventures whether they are soccer/multi-use fields with seating  plus private sector concerns such as laser tag, go-carts, surf pools, and such.

 Great Wolf has 500 rooms. Within a few years there will be four additional hotels within a half a mile with an excess of 400 additional rooms. That means there will be the potential for a strong weeknight consumer base on top of weekend traffic.

Such a base is considered essential for the viability of restaurants. Then there are the weekend BLD tournaments where hundreds upon hundreds of spectators/players during the weekend often have several hours to kill between games.

It would be a short walk — or drive – to reach the “new downtown.” Eventually there could even be shuttle buses or trams, if and when the development reaches a critics tipping point.

Those trams or shuttles could also connect with the nearby ACE station as the long-term goal of adding service beyond commute runs starts occurring.

This would not mean downtown would be abandoned by the city.

Far from it.

The PBID — of which the city would be a major contributor due to its sizeable property — is above and beyond what the city is doing and will continue to do downtown.

Nowhere else in Manteca does the city power wash sidewalks and pavers.

The city also would keep on top of Library Park which includes removing all traces of homeless related debris on a daily basis.

The city would still invest in its own properties in downtown.

Downtown would simply continue to develop on its own.

The advent of the events center, the brewery, the comedy club, and three new restaurants in the past four years has been added to what was already offered between four social halls as gathering places and other businesses.

Downtown will still be viable as it is today.

The city is planning  to spend $250,000 to update the FEZ development plan. Such a move is necessitated after COVID changed how the world works.

It would be much more effective  to invest the $1 million collected for development services fees into incentives for private investment to get the FEZ moving forward at a faster pace instead of fueling the downtown dumpster fire that singes practically every move the city makes.

The city — if it is clear once again that there is no chance for a partnership where both sides step up to the plate — needs to stop being the punching bag for downtown.

Making the FEZ option all the more appealing is Manteca — much like River Islands — can fashion a town center for an active 21st century lifestyle instead of a downtown that is rooted in early 20th century reality.

 Manteca has led the proverbial horse to the water five times in the last 60 years. Each time the horse has opted not to drink while the city spent tons of money and time.

Clearly, Manteca needs a new horse.

This column is the opinion of editor, Dennis Wyatt, and does not necessarily represent the opinions of The Bulletin or 209 Multimedia. He can be reached at dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com