The proposed 2,400-home River Walk project has divided Riverbank for years, pitting housing advocates against defenders of prime farmland west of the city. Here’s a guide to the key questions as the development moves through council votes, a lawsuit, a ballot measure and a new referendum drive.
Here are frequently asked questions:
What is River Walk and what did the Planning Commission say?
River Walk is a 2,400-home annexation that would stretch Riverbank’s city limit west to McHenry Avenue on 1,522 acres owned by several farmers. The city Planning Commission voted 4-1 against the project in August, with critics saying it would consume prime farmland while vacant home sites remain inside current city boundaries.
What is Measure M and why is it controversial?
Measure M, on the Nov. 3 ballot, would give Riverbank voters veto power over most housing projects west of the current city limit. City Attorney Tom Hallinan’s impartial analysis in the Voter Information Guide calls the measure “likely unconstitutional” — a characterization that proponent Denny Jackman says reads more like legal argument than neutral analysis.
Did the City Council approve River Walk?
The council voted 3-2 on Sept. 22 to approve the project, with Councilmembers Stacy Call, John Pimentel and Luis Uribe in favor and Mayor Rachel Hernandez and Councilmember Cindy Fosi opposed. The plan still needs approval from the Stanislaus Local Agency Formation Commission, which could take it up no sooner than Jan. 27.
What’s this about paid protesters and a new referendum?
Voters for Farmland says it gathered roughly 1,760 signatures for a separate referendum to rescind the council’s River Walk approval, after signature gatherers were confronted at Riverbank shopping centers by protesters that a consulting firm confirmed it hired for $75 to $100 per day.
Has anyone sued over the approval?
Central Valley Concerned Citizens, Friends of the Swainson’s Hawk and two individual plaintiffs filed suit in Stanislaus Superior Court seeking to void the approval, alleging a deficient environmental review and harms to farmland, groundwater and wildlife habitat near the Stanislaus River…