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Residents press planners for parks, criticize Riverwalk; staff outlines housing‑element outreach and City Council items
Summary
During public comment, residents urged the commission to prioritize neighborhood parks and opposed the proposed Riverwalk project; staff reported a housing‑element update with community meetings, an online survey, and several upcoming City Council ordinances (cannabis appeals, Airbnb, massage establishments).
Several public commenters used the meeting’s general public‑comment period to press Riverbank officials on broader planning issues, including park access in northwest Riverbank and opposition to the Riverwalk proposal. Rich Homer, a former Riverbank city manager, urged that a vacant parcel in northwest Riverbank be designated as a neighborhood park rather than used for additional tiny‑home developments, and said most current tiny‑home projects are concentrated in District 3. Milt Treeweiler, a lifetime Stanislaus County resident, urged commissioners to vote against the Riverwalk project, arguing it would consume prime farmland and change the city’s character.
Staff responded to the public comments in subsequent agenda items. City planning staff provided a housing‑element status report: the city contracted with JB Anderson (consultant) to update the sixth housing element, staff are updating socioeconomic data and a sites inventory, a GIS provider will produce updated maps, and the city will host stakeholder and public meetings in July–August plus an online survey in English and Spanish. Staff said they will prepare a draft for State Housing and Community Development review with the intention of returning to the Planning Commission and City Council for hearings, targeting a public hearing cycle in late 2024 or early January 2025 for adoption.
Separately, staff advised commissioners that several items will go directly to the City Council and not return to the commission: a cannabis‑ordinance amendment focused on the appeal process, an ordinance addressing Airbnb/short‑term rental regulation, and an ordinance on massage establishments. Planning staff also reported that the Riverwalk project EIR is being managed by De Novo Planning Group, which is processing public comments and preparing responses over the next two to three months.
The public comments and staff presentations framed the commission’s broader work on how Riverbank balances housing production, parks and neighborhood impacts as it advances its housing element and larger Riverwalk project review.
