'It's an exciting time': YC mayor tours housing, rec developments

Jun. 15—Yuba City has seen substantial residential, recreational and commercial growth through a number of development projects.

During an annual bus tour on Thursday, Yuba City Mayor Wade Kirchner guided city staff and members of the public through a showcase of several development ventures to address the needs of city residents.

"It's an exciting time to have the job that I have because of all the new developments going on," Kirchner said. "I'm going from ribbon cutting to ribbon cutting each week."

The majority of featured projects were new homes and affordable housing developments throughout the city including Johnson Ranch Estates, which is still in its early stages. The residential subdivision will feature 82 single family lots across 15 acres as part of the Butte Vista neighborhood. Yuba City Public Works Director Ben Moody anticipated that developers will initiate the design phase this year with construction starting in 2024.

Other subdivisions like Dunn Ranch are steadily underway with a number of newly constructed homes. Over 90 single family lots are planned for the neighborhood near Royo Ranchero Drive in the northern end of Yuba City. Houses will range in size from 2,000 to 2,900 square feet and be priced at around $830,000, sales director and realtor Holly Shackleford said.

In total, the city has approved 1,266 single family lots across 16 home and affordable housing developments as well as 20 two-family units, seven multifamily units and 226 affordable multifamily units. An additional 1,437 single family lots are pending approval across seven development sites.

Kirchner said he believes senior residents are a particularly vulnerable population and that more housing options are needed for them. To address the issue, two senior housing developments were highlighted — one proposed and one underway.

Garden Grove Apartments, an affordable housing complex which will feature 50 senior housing units, was approved in March and will be developed by the Regional Housing Authority. A separate 20-unit senior housing development has been proposed by Habitat for Humanity along South Walton Avenue.

"There really is a housing shortage in California," Development Liaison Ashley Potočnik said. "The city is pushing for efforts to bring in more housing options whether it be more houses, smaller apartment units or million dollar homes."

The Harter Development highlights a combination of residential, commercial and recreational projects throughout the area near Harter Parkway. Along with plans for residential growth, plans for an Arco gas station, Raising Cane's and Dutch Bros. are set.

Across the street from these commercial developments is Didar S. Bains Park, which is nearly complete pending additional grass growth, Moody said. The park features an accessible playground, fitness module and bike repair station. A sensory play area was donated to the park by the Kiwanis Club of Yuba City, and a full-sized basketball court was added as a park feature. Associate Civil Engineer Josh Wolffe estimates that the park will be open to the public by late July.

"This is just a gem for the city," Moody said.

Kirchner and city staff believe some of the city's biggest changes can be attributed to the completion of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints temple. With the opening of the temple, the city will see a significant influx of people from surrounding areas, driving them to local businesses and the newly opened Holiday Inn.

District 1 City Councilmember Dave Shaw previously said that the temple will bring new commerce to the city and a renewed need for hotel rooms and facilities to support special events.

The four-story hotel is still under construction, but Holiday Inn established a soft-opening of its first two floors on Wednesday. Hotel staff anticipated that construction of the upper two floors will be completed this summer with a grand opening scheduled shortly after.

During the tour, Shaw also spoke about planned beautification projects for Plumas Street and efforts to turn it into the "entertainment center" of Yuba City.

Last year, the city sought $2.2 million from the Clean California Local Grant Program, which funds projects that would clean and beautify public areas and improve spaces for walking and recreation. The city found that this grant could fund multiple improvements along Plumas Street including revitalization for the Yuba City water tower with the construction of a small park in the area.

Other improvements to the area will include a Plumas Street archway, additional benches and trash cans and festoon-style lighting that crisscrosses over Center Street.

"Think of everything we do down here in terms of entertainment and business: the Summer Stroll, the Christmas Stroll. It's all to try to drive people to this area," Shaw said.