Vintage Faire objects to Modesto’s plans to remake busy Standiford-Highway 99 interchange

Modesto’s proposal to remake the Standiford Avenue-Highway 99 interchange is drawing objections from Vintage Faire Mall’s owner, which says the change would significantly harm the mall and the other shopping centers at one of the city’s busiest commercial centers.

The city is working with Caltrans to drastically transform the traffic corridor with roundabouts and new roads, including ones on private property the city would acquire from the mall and nearby shopping areas.

The Macerich Co. , which owns Vintage Faire, sent a letter last week to Modesto stating its opposition.

“Macerich stands with our neighbors in strongly urging the city and Caltrans to immediately re-evaluate the current proposal for the interchange project and explore alternatives that better serve the community, the City of Modesto, County of Stanislaus and the state of California,” it reads in part.

The letter says the mall would lose more than 5 acres of parking and at least 635 parking spaces. An additional 270 spaces would become inaccessible because of the public roadway cutting through mall parking along Sisk and Dale roads. The letter says the project would also harm the surrounding shopping areas.

“As conceived, the current (interchange) alternatives will have the effect of eliminating many existing businesses and compromising others while driving new ones away from the area,” Macerich wrote in its letter.

Mall generates $30M in sales taxes

The mall is a huge economic driver for Modesto. The letter states Vintage Faire provides employment for more than 2,300 people, pays $1.7 million in annual real estate taxes and generates $30 million in annual sales tax revenue for the city, county and state.

The City Council in April 2023 approved hiring a consultant at cost of $7 million to study traffic patterns, design options and review environmental impacts over 39 months in an effort to remake the busy interchange and it traffic flow and safety for drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians.

The details are spelled out on the project’s website, www.beckwith-standiford.com . (Standiford becomes Beckwith Road west of Highway 99, and that area is primarily rural.) The project is in its early stages and no final decisions have been made. Construction could start in 2028, but that would come only after more public input and council votes.

Modesto emailed a statement to The Bee that did not address any of the concerns raised in the letter, which Macerich also sent to all of the members of the City Council and Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors, as well as Assemblyman Juan Alanis and state Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil.

The statement said the effort is a high-priority regional Measure L project that will reduce congestion and increase safety. Measure L is the countywide sales tax that voters approved in 2016 for transportation projects.

“The city’s goal is to mitigate the impacts to surrounding businesses during the project development and construction to improve the overall traffic flow, minimize traffic accidents, and create a sustainable, long-term transportation infrastructure,” according to the statement.

The Standiford interchange dates to the 1970s, when the Vintage Faire Mall was the only major retail complex in northwest Modesto. The bridge over Highway 99 had one lane each way. That area later drew big-box retailers, housing and other traffic generators on and near Standiford and Sisk Road. The Standiford bridge got more lanes to handle the load.

Caltrans favors ‘complete streets’

The Standiford redo is happening amid a changing philosophy about road planning. Engineers for decades have emphasized motor vehicles over people on foot or bicycle. Caltrans now seeks “complete streets” in the projects it funds.

Councilwoman Rosa Escutia-Braaton, whose district includes Vintage Faire, emailed City Manager Joe Lopez last week stating the need for an alternative proposal that balances the need to improve the interchange while protecting the mall and other businesses.

Escutia-Braaton wrote in her email that when voters approved Measure L in 2016 they also approved a spending plan for projects, including remaking the Standiford-99 interchange into eight lanes and not what the city is now proposing.

“I remain committed to working with you, city staff, WMH Groups (the city’s consultant on the project) and our community to find alternative solutions that improve traffic flow and safety, while maintaining the vibrancy of our local economy,” Escutia-Braaton said in her email. “I believe that you share these same goals, and I look forward to further collaborating with you in achieving a workable solution.”

Modesto also has embarked on a similar project to remake the Briggsmore Avenue-Highway 99 interchange . But the planning process is expected to take more than five years because of the interchange’s complexity and its high volume of traffic.

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