Patterson Irrigator

Slodesertdweller,

yes, the town will continue to grow along with other west side towns, but this road will only create enormous growth pressures. While it may grow, I don't want to rely on the market to control the growth nor do I want to see Patterson being the solution to the Bay Area's housing shortage to which Patterson has produced more than its fair share of the regions housing. I don't think the road will bring in the resources you want. I think what it will do is encourage more commuting to the Bay Area as opposed to creating the jobs here. Thats why even some usually pro-growth people have opposed it.

Fellow Dweller

You have some great points, many that I agree with, but I do have to disagree. You have to keep in mind that business are looking to cut corners and save $$ as well. On land and resources which are both cheaper in the valley. Patterson's growth has already brought industry to the town...Kohls/Longs etc. I haven't seen any numbers on % of employee's that live within the city limits. But the opportunities for residents to make a decent living within the community is there. But the huge benefit is not the money being "paid" here....but rather the $$ being spent. The money that goes into the community and its local business.

My main point is that growth isn't due to anything other than people "wanting" to live in California and enjoy the coast/whether etc. It's happening up and down the state. In Southern California it is non stop cities from Santa Monica to the Desert(Palm Springs area)Riverside County had a 32% growth rate a cpl years back, 2nd to only Las Vegas. As coastal homes get more expensive....Teachers, Police Officers, Fireman and many vital parts to a community get driven out...because they can't afford to live in the community in which they work. Living in San Luis Obispo for 6 years I witnessed this first hand....How can any working teachers or $50k a year salary afford a home when the median price is $700K. Its impossible....so people move to the east. Now Patterson is catching up. And your finding retiree's and other residents re-locating to Texas and other states where there dollar will go much further. I can't blame Bay Area residents for wanting to own a home and advance in the game of life....and I think it's not fair for us to say...."We were born here, and we don't want you guys around. Stay in your own community where you'll be forced to raise your family of 5 in a rented 2 bedroom apartment" What really cracks me up is when residents that have been in patterson since 1989 balk to new comers and growth, those folks should take a quick glance in the mirror. One thing is for sure...no long time Patterson resident is complaining when it comes time to get their home appraised!

I believe my grandmother purchased her house in the early 60's for $18K(that may have included upgrades ha,ha,ha) I have a feeling she's made her $$ back.

p.s.
By no way do I advocate the above(eastern growth) I just think its a sad reality of living in CA.

Country Dweller,

They didn't mislead me at all.. What I paid for my home in '98 has tripled in price and my commute is not long at all. Patterson's economy is diversified and growing. We need political leaders in office that can respond to or foresee future growth pressures on our town.

Aphacali,

I am glad everything worked out for you. I was simply referring to the San Jose road. If they told you there was going to be a road built that you were going to be built, then they were jumping the gun.

I agree with the statement about the growth pressures. But this will end some day. You and I won't see it, but our kids and grand kids will. The valley can't grow forever. They can keep building houses, but you can't create land or water. The question is, do we just accept that growth is inevitable and just pave everything over and create a one large Los Angeles, or are restrictions going to be put on where and when growth occurs. This goes beyond just Patterson but as the last decade shows, Patterson is a part of it.

In regards to the Keystone Business park, while I like that jobs are being created, so far, in my opinion the business park has not lived up to the hype.

Back when Keystone was proposed (which was proposed after the Dot com bust), we were told by the developers and Patterson officials they were going to bring in all of these High Tech & R&D jobs that were going to get people out of their cars. Further, one of the past Stanislaus County officials in charge of eoonomic developmnent at the time was critical of the business park development that was occuring in San Joaquin Couny, specifically that retail distribution centers have the lowest jobs to acre ratios and are low paying jobs. Patterson Gardens was approved to fund the business park infrastructure and provide housing for the business park workers (I heard that one a million times before).

So what happened? After the business park was approved - the developer comes out and says those high tech jobs don't exist so we have to have low paying retail distribution centers. We are going to be the storage bin of Nothern California. They created a bunch of McMansions in Patterson Gardens that none of the locals can afford. The cost of housing in Patterson Gardens is driven by Bay Area wages so most people have to commute anyway. Longs actually brought a large chunk of existing workforce from Tracy. The only way to buy a house and work in the Patterson business park is to buy a house in Chowchilla. The affordibility index in the county is somewhere in the 8% to 10% range meaning only 8% to 10% of the people who work in the area can afford to buy a home. Now the business park developer claims he can't lure any large companies because Patterson has too many high school dropouts, but he now wants to build 2,500 homes to fix the jobs/housing imbalance. The city already approved 3,100 homes - Villages of Patterson, because the same developer who is behind the Villages project, did not build enough low & moderate income homes in Walker Ranch.

Something is wrong with this picture.

the above statement was not posted by me, please don't use my screen name....people will get confused.