Lodi bowling alley moves forward
The Lodi Planning Commission unanimously approved permits and plans for a proposed bowling and restaurant facility as several Lodi residents spoke in support of the project during its meeting Wednesday night.
According to City Planner Craig Hoffman, applicant Joseph Haddad is planning to construct a 42,650-squarefoot bowling alley with 35 lanes, a 2,200-square-foot restaurant, a 1,240square-foot kitchen and a 3,000square-foot banquet room. The proposed bowling facility will be located at 302, 306, 310, 322 and 400 N. Sacramento St., and will include 79 on-site parking spaces and 67 spaces located on Sacramento Street. The facility will be two stories with bowling lanes, a bar area, kitchen and restaurant, reception and outside seating on the bottom floor and additional private bowling facilities, restrooms and potential banquet rooms on the second floor.
“Being on this project, I feel that this project is an amenity to the City of Lodi. About 20 years ago, I think, was the last time Lodi has seen a bowling alley and I think it is overdue,” John Vierra of NJ Associates, the architect on the project, said.
Haddad, the applicant and general contractor of the project, said it will provide something for everyone and will draw people in from other cities.
“I really think this is going to be something beneficial to all of Lodi,” he said.
So far, Haddad said, he has gotten nothing but support from the community on his project and the neighboring businesses in the area have given positive feedback.
Several people spoke in support of the project during the meeting Wednesday night.
“I’m just here to basically speak out in support of the project,” Lodi resident Kyle Jasperson said. “I think it would be a good amenity for that particular location. My wife and I spend three of the four seasons throughout the year riding our bicycles through that area into the Downtown area. It would be nice to have this area begin to transform from an area that you hurry through to one that people might actually want to go to.”
Lodi resident Cherie Sintes-Glover agreed.
“These days if you want to go bowling, you either have to go to Stockton and wait for three hours for a lane because of all of the leagues or you have to drive to Jackson or you have to drive to Elk Grove,” she said. “It’s a great addition to Lodi. It gives us something to do. It gives us another good restaurant in the area and opportunities for businesses to use it as well.”
Lodi resident Marilee Pennino pointed out that the bowling facility would give the youths in the area something to do and keep them out of trouble.
“There was a lot to do growing up when I was a kid, but 20 or so years ago everything got plucked out of here. Those last 20 years, students have either gotten into trouble or haven’t had anything to do. They are just bored,” she said. “The talk of the town is Lodi needs something. A bowling alley would be great for revenue, along with something for these teens to do — not only teens, but families and grandparents.”
Lodi resident Roxanne Mohrmann reminisced on the times when Tokay Bowl was in Lodi and shared that she now travels to Manteca to bowl every week. She said that when she goes bowling in Manteca, she sees a lot of families out having fun and she would love to see that again in Lodi.
Lodi resident Kevin Schroder was the only one to voice concerns with the project at the meeting. He was concerned about the lack of information about the traffic impact and requested a traffic impact study. He was also worried by the lack of a proposed crosswalk along Sacramento Street or discussion about drop-off locations for taxis, Ubers and Lyfts. Schroder was also concerned that no hydrologic study had been done on the site.
Lyman Chang said the project was consistent with the general plan for land use, so a traffic impact study would not be necessary. According to Chang, Caltrans’ traffic impact study guidelines don’t require that a study be done for this particular site. He said it would better to do a traffic study after the project goes in to determine whether on not the speed limit in that area needs to be changed.