River Islands at Lathrop is a proposed planned community on a 4,800-acre (7.5 sq mi; 1,900 ha) site in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta in Lathrop, California, United States.
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The developer is the Cambay Group of Walnut Creek, California which is an American subsidiary of Somerston Holdings Limited of the United Kingdom.[1] Plans call for the completion of 11,000 homes, a town center, business parks, and recreational areas over a 25-year development period.[1] In 2011, the developers stated construction of homes would not begin until late 2013 or early 2014 at the earliest."[2]
In October 2011, Banta Elementary School District approved the purchase of a 30-acre site within River Islands in Lathrop for construction of a k-8 charter school.[3] The 450-student technology school was proposed to open in August 2013 with an eventual expansion for a high school and college.[4]
The project was initially proposed in 1996 as a "mega resort" called Gold Rush City with theme parks, golf courses and private homes.[5] After substantial criticism about building within a flood plain, the plan was changed to a planned community surrounded by wide levees.[5] Since being proposed in 2001, the development has been delayed several years due to lawsuits, concerns about flooding, environmental impact issues and a downturn in the housing market.[5][6] To address the issues of flooding, plans call for 18 miles (29 km) of 300-foot-wide (91 m) levees to surround the community.[7] In 2003, Cambay Group settled lawsuits by the Sierra Club by establishing an $8.2 million trust for the protection of local farmland.[5] In 2009, the development company stated that construction would be further delayed because of the downturn in the housing market.[1]