Council approves street vacations to advance Stockton Diamond grade‑separation project

The Stockton City Council on April 16 adopted a resolution authorizing the vacation of portions of East Sonora Street, East Church Street and East Scotts Avenue to accommodate right‑of‑way needs for the Stockton Diamond grade‑separation project.

Jordan Peterson, deputy director of redevelopment, told the council the abandonments were requested by the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission as part of the Stockton Diamond Grade Separation Project and that staff recommended reserving public utility easements within the abandoned areas and filing Notice of Exemption No. 64‑23 under CEQA. “The proposed abandonments are the first of a series of actions that will likely come forth as part of the project,” Peterson said.

Council members asked questions about traffic relief and regional rail benefits. Council Member Wright noted the project will remove a major bottleneck that had trains waiting up to two hours and said the separation would improve traffic flow and support potential increases in ACE rail service.

No members of the public spoke on the item. The council voted 6–0 to approve the resolution, with Vice Mayor Wormsley absent. The action reserves public utility easements in the vacated areas and authorizes the city manager to take actions necessary to implement the resolution.