By a 4-1 vote on Monday night, May 5, the Escalon City Council rejected a plan to develop a multi-unit apartment complex and commercial space along Jackson Avenue.

The location, at 2304 Jackson, is across Highway 120 from Hula’s Restaurant and across Elizabeth from Orlando’s Market. And though council members admitted there is a need for more housing – and some that fall into the classification of affordable housing – this was not the right place to develop it.

A public hearing on the proposal drew a handful of speakers in opposition to the project, including longtime local resident Renee Snow, who circulated a petition against the proposal. She cited, among other concerns, the increased traffic, a drop in property values for homes in the surrounding area, and worries over the design of the complex.

Project proponents explained the plan in detail, calling for several different apartment options, as well as a common space and play structure. A couple of business sites were to be included as well but residents taking to the podium were all in opposition to the plan.

The city’s Planning Commission had earlier voted to not recommend approval of the project to the council.

Currently an undeveloped, grassy lot, the site has been vacant for some time. However, council members generally said they were in favor of finding a suitable tenant for the property and getting it developed but agreed the mixed use of apartments and businesses was not a good fit.

City Manager Jaylen French explained that the area is zoned C2, general commercial, “which allows for multiple family housing with approval of a planned development.”

Proposing the plan was the Tracy-based Gurmat Lions, Inc.

The apartment portion of the development was to include one three-bedroom, two-bath unit; 12 two-bedroom, two-bath units; and four one-bedroom, two-bath units, ranging from 856 square feet to 1,116 square feet.

Snow, at the podium on Monday night, said she and her husband were “longtime renters” in Escalon before being in position to buy a home. And she said though they likely could have gotten twice as much for their money in neighboring cities like Modesto or Oakdale, she said they never looked anywhere else, wanting to raise their sons in Escalon.

She said the plan itself just didn’t fit with the character of Escalon and the hundreds of residents that signed the petition, she said, felt the same way.

“I think the location is just wrong; I know we need housing but if it was in a different location in town, you’d probably have me on board,” Mayor Andy Hagan told the project proponents, adding that he hopes the city can continue to work with potential developers to get a commercial venture of some type at the Jackson Avenue site.

After all council members had a chance to ask questions and get clarification on some issues, it was councilman Shawn Strohman who made the motion to deny the project, which would have required the council to approve a Planned Development Zone District for it to move forward at 2304 Jackson.

“There’s just too many ‘what ifs’,” Strohman said.

Council member Jeff Kay seconded the motion and adding their votes to deny the project were Hagan and Mayor Pro Tem Malinda Walker, with councilman Jeremy Engle the lone dissenting vote.

In making the motion to deny the project, Strohman indicated agreement with residents, also adding that the plan had never changed from its initial proposal, even though developers had plenty of time to re-work some items, taking residents’’ concerns into consideration.