Appliance Repair in Crows Landing, CA

Stanislaus County officials have been in preliminary talks with a potential developer for the business park project at the former Crows Landing airfield.

The county came up empty with previous efforts to find a developer for the 1,528-acre Crows Landing Industrial Business Park but had better luck with a request for proposals in June.

Industrial Realty Group, a firm that specializes in reuse of industrial properties, expressed an interest and entered an exclusive negotiation window with the county, said Keith Boggs, a former assistant executive officer for the county.

The county received no other proposals and has promised to talk only with IRG as it does research on the Crows Landing plan, which could bring up to 15,000 jobs to western Stanislaus County.

The county expects a detailed proposal or an answer from IRG by the end of February, said Boggs, retired and working as a consultant for the county.

If the real estate company is committed to the reuse project, the county would negotiate an agreement for IRG to serve as the master developer. The county would look for another developer if IRG loses interest.

IRG, based in Los Angeles, is one of three partners working on redevelopment of the former McClellan Air Force Base in Sacramento. The firm is reviewing the opportunities for developing the former Naval landing field south of Patterson.

For a number of years, a project called West Park was in the planning stages at Crows Landing before the county cut ties with developer Gerry Kamilos in 2012. A 4,800-acre plan overlapping the former base property, West Park was a proposed jobs mecca and multimodal transportation hub connected with the Port of Oakland.

After the demise of West Park, the county wasn’t able lure a developer for a scaled-down Crows Landing project in early 2013 and released its own plan for reuse of the airfield in 2014. County supervisors approved the environmental studies in 2018.

The county development plan calls for a 370-acre general aviation airport, light manufacturing, distribution warehouses, office space and aviation-related businesses.

Boggs said IRG could propose some changes to the Crows Landing project. But any proposals for reuse must stay within the 1,528-acre footprint, he said. An agreement with the federal government that deeded the property to the county requires that an airport be part of the reuse project.

IRG representatives did not return messages from The Modesto Bee on Friday.

Supervisor Terry Withrow said the talks with IRG are preliminary. “We are going forward with some (developer) whether it is this firm or somebody else,” Withrow said. “It’s just a matter of finding the right fit to get it started.”

Some unanswered questions have swirled around the Crows Landing project. Such as: Does the county need another public airport? Does it have a desire for more distribution centers? And what are the traffic and housing implications of employing 15,000 people at the center between Patterson and Newman.

Boggs said the success of distribution centers such as Amazon and Restoration Hardware a few miles away in Patterson indicates there should be demand for distribution warehouses at the Crows Landing industrial park. The site has access to an Interstate 5 freeway interchange about a mile away.

“We feel really good about where we are,” Boggs said.

Monique Costa’s accomplishments for her age keep getting more impressive.

She started working at the Farmers’ Den at age 15. She has kept working since then at the popular ag-community restaurant. And now, at age 20, she is the owner of the Crows Landing Road establishment.

Costa, and her mother, Evelyn, took over as co-owners of the popular farmers hangout at the start of April. The women previously both worked as staff at the small rural eatery. Then last year, the Green family, which founded the restaurant, asked if Costa might be interested in buying the place.

Costa said she had previously spoken with the owner about taking over if he wanted to sell. But the pandemic accelerated the timeline. After coming to an agreement last year, the 2018 Turlock High graduate has been largely managing the day-to-day operation. With the full transfer of ownership this spring, she has made a few small changes and personal touches.

“I love this place. The people who come in here are like family to me,” she said. “I’ve been coming here since I was little. I want this place to feel like home for everyone.”

Costa is determined to keep the restaurant’s traditions alive. That means giving keys to longtime loyal customers who want their coffee before the place opens for the day. Keeping all of the menu items the same, but adding a couple of new dishes. And allowing the farm clientele to keep a tab they have to pay only once a month for their meals.

It’s those little things that have helped turn the roadside restaurant into a fixture for many who live in the area, amid the dairy farms and nut orchards. First opened in 2005 by the Green family, the restaurant has become an oasis for many as it sits kitty-corner from Mountain View Middle School at the intersection of Crows Landing Road and Main Street.

Many of its unique aspects, including giving around half a dozen farmers the keys to the restaurant so they can open at 4:30 a.m. before staff arrives, will continue under the Costas.

The restaurant serves a hearty breakfast and lunch daily, and you can find country classics like chicken-fried steak, biscuits and gravy, a linguica scramble and a breakfast burrito on its menu. The restaurant also serves around two dozen different burgers and sandwiches. Most items run between $10.99 and $12.99.

Since taking over, Costa has added a couple of items to the menu, including a tri-tip sandwich and pork chops, and started using sunny plastic tablecloths in the 65-person-capacity dining room. Down the road, she might consider extending its hours to include dinner service or expanding the eatery’s Thursday night prime rib and ribeye specials, which will return this month.

Costa and her mother have a long history with the restaurant. Having grown up on a dairy farm, the younger Costa started going to the Farmer’s Den when she was 5 years old, and she regularly stopped by before school to get something to eat or drink. Evelyn Costa, who works as a bus driver for Turlock Unified School District, joined the staff after her daughter, on her recommendation. The elder Costa also has some other restaurant experience, briefly owning a spot in Gustine over a decade ago.

Monique Costa works at the site daily, while her mother helps out during weekends and when school isn’t in session. Besides being a full-time business owner, Costa is studying for her communications degree at nearby California State University, Stanislaus.

Last year, the Costas and the Greens had to contend with the ongoing COVID-19 safety restrictions and shutdowns. The restaurant closed for a while, then pivoted to takeout like so many eateries across the Valley and country.

Since returning to full service and inside dining, Costa estimates a good 85% of their customers have returned. Some, particularly the older regulars, still are wary, she said. Still, she has managed to keep all the same about 10-person staff, including some who have worked there since it first opened. Comparatively, she is one of the relative short-timers at the restaurant, with “newer” servers averaging about eight years at the Den.

But Monique Costa said even though she’s younger and newer than some, she wants to keep the restaurant a stable presence for the rural community.

“Personally, I think if it’s working, don’t change it,” she said. “I hope people see the care we take with this place.”

Farmers’ Den, at 9952 Crows Landing Road, is open 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily. For more information, call 209-669-6541 or visit www.facebook.com/FarmersDenCA.

This story was originally published June 3, 2021 4:00 AM.

FOLSOM, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--PowerSchool (NYSE: PWSC) today announced Newman-Crows Landing Unified School District (NCLUSD) in Newman, California has selected PowerSchool Unified Classroom® Performance Matters to improve the district’s student assessment, reporting, and districtwide collaboration efforts while informing its personalized learning initiatives and saving teachers time. Once implemented and paired with PowerSchool Student Information System (SIS), Performance Matters will provide NCLUSD educators with a unified hub for following student academic performance and pinpointing instructional gaps to improve learning.

“Providing robust solutions capable of helping educators monitor their students’ academic performance and apply remediation when it’s needed is at the core of what we do”

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“We are always looking for ways to make our systems more effective and efficient, and PowerSchool has proven they have a robust suite of solutions capable of doing just that,” said Kim Bettencourt, Assistant Superintendent, Newman-Crows Landing Unified School District. “As a longtime PowerSchool SIS user, I’m excited to see the increased student assessment and reporting capabilities Performance Matters will provide to support our teachers, once fully implemented.”

Prior to selecting Performance Matters, NCLUSD managed student assessment and reporting through various channels. While functional, the district realized the operational inefficiencies and potential margin for error the differing channels could cause when it came to generating accurate student assessment data. As a result, the district selected Performance Matters to consolidate its software stack and improve overall student assessment, data-driven classroom instruction, and broader districtwide collaboration efforts.

Once fully implemented into NCLUSD’s network, Performance Matters will complement the district’s PowerSchool SIS platform by saving teachers time and allowing them to simplify instruction. This is achieved through the aggregation of student demographic and performance data into a unified hub, increasing districtwide collaboration, and providing accessibility to key resources. Further, the real-time insights provided by Performance Matters will help the district rapidly pinpoint learning gaps and fuel more data-driven instruction efforts.

“Providing robust solutions capable of helping educators monitor their students’ academic performance and apply remediation when it’s needed is at the core of what we do,” said Craig Greenseid, PowerSchool Chief Revenue Officer. “We're excited that Performance Matters will soon help Newman-Crows Landing Unified School District create more data-driven instruction and we’re anticipating the positive learning outcomes they will create.”

NCLUSD is a public school district located in Newman, California on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley. The district serves over 3,200 students across eight total schools, including four elementary, one middle, one high school, and two alternate education schools. As part of the district’s commitment to enriching students’ lives in and out of the classroom, NCLUSD offers various programs such as its Dual Language Immersion, Advanced Placement, Career Technical Education, PSAT/SAT testing, and STEM/STEAM education programs.

For more information about Performance Matters, visit https://www.powerschool.com/solutions/unified-classroom/performance-matters/.

About PowerSchool

PowerSchool (NYSE: PWSC) is the leading provider of cloud-based software for K-12 education in North America. Its mission is to power the education ecosystem with unified technology that helps educators and students realize their full potential, in their way. PowerSchool connects students, teachers, administrators, and parents, with the shared goal of improving student outcomes. From the office to the classroom to the home, it helps schools and districts efficiently manage state reporting and related compliance, special education, finance, human resources, talent, registration, attendance, funding, learning, instruction, grading, assessments and analytics in one unified platform. PowerSchool supports over 45 million students globally and more than 15,000 customers, including more than 90 of the top 100 districts by student enrollment in the United States, and sells solutions in more than 90 countries. Visit www.powerschool.com to learn more.

© PowerSchool. PowerSchool and other PowerSchool marks are trademarks of PowerSchool Holdings, Inc. or its subsidiaries. Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.

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A packed house attended the Ceres Planning Commission on Monday in support of the El Rematito Flea Market being allowed to continue operations despite problems that need to be worked out with the city.

The commission voted 4-0 to extend an amendment to the Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for 12 months to allow the 29-acre flea market to operate at 3025 and 3113 Crows Landing Road.

In September 2020, the Planning Commission approved an amendment to the CUP to allow El Rematito Flea Market to operate for two years at which time the city would monitor and review the project. The flea market has been operating under a CUP approved in 2015 but those operations expanded in 2020 to allow the market to operate Thursdays through Sundays as well as operate a food vendor truck park Mondays through Thursdays.

In August the flea market owners requested approval of a 12-month extension of the existing CUP entitlement to allow El Rematito Flea Market to continue operating. City staff members preferred a six-month extension while issues are worked out. The commission opted for a year extension.

City staff members said owners Candida and Pedro Marquez have acted on complaints regarding dust generated by vehicles parking on a dirt lot west of the flea market parking lot. While the dirt lot is owned by the same owner, it isn’t part of the CUP, and therefore, market attendees and vendors are not allowed to park at the dirt lot. El Rematito has blocked off the dirt lot to take care of the dust problem.

The city is also concerned about the venue’s popularity causing traffic to back up on Crows Landing Road past Whitmore Avenue to the north which is “causing delays and unsafe driving conditions.” A traffic management plan is being requested by the city.

“It is staff’s opinion that the owner is working with the city in good faith to resolve all matters related to code enforcement and any nuisances that have been reported,” a city staff report to the commission noted. “There are also engineering- and infrastructure-related issues that the city needs time to review and resolve with the owner.”

Christopher Hoem, the city’s director of Community Development, said it’s possible that improvements may be made to the dirt lot so it may be used for parking.

“Right now it’s not permitted but it’s something that we want to work in good faith to come up with a solution if we can,” Hoem told the commission.

Attorney Nelson Gomez represented the flea market and said issues continue to be worked out to the satisfaction of the city and operators. He asked for a longer extension as the issues are settled “at once so we don’t come back piecemeal to you.”

Gomez told the commission that the city needs to reimburse his client for part of the cost of installing a traffic signal on Crows Landing Road as well as water lines.

“My client has invested in excess of $3 million since 2015 in order to upgrade that particular parcel and that particular business and is glad to have done so because I believe that we have the nicest and best equipped flea market in California,” Gomez told the commission.

Commissioner Daniel Martinez motioned for a 12-month extension of the CUP amendment. It was supported by him, Gary Del Nero, Bob Kachel and Dave Johnson. Laurie Smith was absent.

Gomez said that the owners of the flea market have “many other issues that have been lingering for a period of seven years and haven’t been resolved.”

The flea market operates Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 5:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and is allowed to have up to 548 vendor spaces (155 enclosed spaces and 393 open air spaces).

Crows Landing Road in south Modesto will get about $6 million in upgrades to make it more inviting for people on foot and bicycle.

The work will happen on the 1.5-mile stretch between Pecos and Whitmore avenues, just south of Highway 99. Crows Landing will get a bike lane on each side, raised medians in the center left-turn lane, and flashing beacons at a few crosswalks. Sidewalk, lighting and disabled-access upgrades are coming, too.

The plans emerged after city and Stanislaus County officials decided not to widen Crows Landing from four to six lanes for cars and trucks. They hope to make it somewhat more of a neighborhood street for the largely low-income area.

The work between Hatch and Whitmore roads is expected to be done by October under a $3.92 million contract approved June 23 by the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors. Teichert Construction of Roseville got the job, funded from state and federal sources.

The portion between Hatch and Pecos is a Modesto project scheduled for summer 2021 at a cost of about $2 million, city spokesman Thomas Reeves said. Details are still being refined for the project, funded by federal sources.

“The city’s and county’s design have been coordinated and will feel like one continuous project to travelers (once both are complete),” Reeves said in an email.

Crows Landing Road is a key part of the county’s transportation system. An average of about 32,000 motor vehicles pass through the project area each day, said a memo from Stanislaus County Public Works.

The road extends about 20 mostly rural miles from Seventh Street in Modesto to Highway 33 on the West Side. The project area has a mix of grocery stores, restaurants, automotive businesses, furniture shops and other uses.

Several thousand people live on the blocks east and west of Crows Landing. The homes date to Depression-era settlements by migrants from the Dust Bowl states. The corridor has a decidedly Latino flavor today.

Navigating the road can be nerve-wracking because the center left-turn lane has raised medians in only a few spots. Drivers dart from the many parking lots fronting the businesses. Bicyclists have to share the road with motor vehicles. Pedestrians have few safe crosswalks. Sidewalks tend to be narrow, and are missing in places.

Back in 2001, the strip got a visit from Dan Burden, a Florida-based expert on walkable streets, before he spoke at a public meeting on the topic.

“It’s as challenging a road as I’ve found anywhere in America,” he said. He suggested raised medians and filling of sidewalk gaps.

Around the same time, parents at Shackelford School got the county to install stoplights at Crows Landing and School Street. Many children walk across five lanes of traffic to and from the campus.

The Hatch-Whitmore design emerged from public meetings in the affected area.

The bicycle lanes will be buffered from motor vehicles with pavement striping, rather than raised berms. New light poles will aid cyclists and pedestrians alike. The county portion of the project includes beacons protecting walkers crossing at Amador, Imperial and Colusa avenues.

The county will remove one oddity from Crows Landing, the stoplight at Butte Avenue. It is a mere 100 or so feet from another stoplight at Winmoore Avenue.

The county project does not include landscaping on the mostly treeless street. That would have required a special tax on property owners in the corridor, an unpopular idea, said Christopher Brady, a deputy director at Public Works.

The contractor will shift traffic across the lanes as needed to install the improvements.

The city/county plans do not include the quarter-mile of Crows Landing north of the freeway, a two-lane route. It eventually will connect with the Seventh Street Bridge over the Tuolumne River, which will be widened from two to four lanes in the coming years.

The upcoming work on Crows Landing will hardly turn it into a grand boulevard. The lack of trees is one reason. Another is that the streetscape is dominated by the parking lots fronting most businesses, a bane to advocates for walkable urban areas.

But the city has a vision for making the north end of Crows Landing something different. A large vacant space could get a multistory mix of homes and businesses that hug the sidewalks. This would happen on the former site of Modesto Tallow, a rendering plant that sent a foul odor into the neighborhood for decades.

The current property owners are working with the city on the plan, but details and a timeline are not set, Reeves said.

Modesto laid out this vision in a 2015 study on Crows Landing Road as far south as Whitmore. It suggested short-term projects, such as the upcoming bike and pedestrian upgrades, and a rethinking of land use.

“In order to improve the pedestrian-friendliness of Crows Landing Road, it is important to slow traffic and make motor vehicle movements more predictable, reduce potential conflicts between pedestrians and traffic, and locate buildings and building entries near the sidewalk,” the report said.

This story was originally published July 15, 2020 5:30 AM.