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Council requires Lodi Academy to install sidewalk, terminates remaining curb-and-gutter obligation
Summary
After decades of deferred frontage obligations, council directed Lodi Academy to design and complete sidewalk improvements by the end of 2026 and voted to terminate the academy’s remaining curb-and-gutter requirement, while preserving staff assistance to coordinate engineering and permitting.
Lodi City Council voted March 18 to require Lodi Academy to complete sidewalk frontage improvements at 1230 South Central Avenue by the end of 2026 and to terminate the school’s outstanding obligation to install curb and gutter under the city’s longstanding deferral agreement.
Public works deputy director John Nathan outlined the property’s history: an original deferral agreement from 1986, an amendment tied to a central-city revitalization project in 1996, and a later extension in 2016 that pushed some obligations to December 31, 2026. The academy estimated curb/gutter/sidewalk costs and provided contractor quotes for the sidewalk portion. City staff recommended upholding the municipal-code requirement that property owners install frontage improvements but offered to allow additional time for the curb-and-gutter work while requiring the sidewalk be completed on schedule.
Fred Bunch, longtime chair of the Lodi Academy board, said the school has limited finances and asked the city to share or defer certain costs; he agreed the sidewalk should be completed but sought flexibility on the curb and gutter due to site conditions and potential future leased development on the east side of the campus. Council members expressed concern about continuing indefinite deferrals and rising costs but accepted staff’s approach: require the sidewalk, allow a targeted extension or terminate the remaining curb-and-gutter obligation after sidewalk completion, and help the academy coordinate engineering and permitting.
Council’s motion directs the academy to secure design/engineering and complete the sidewalk work by Dec. 31, 2026; the council will terminate the remaining deferral obligations related to curb and gutter after the sidewalk is accepted. The motion was seconded and passed. Staff said it will work with the academy on schedule and will bring the amendment/termination back to council for formalization.
