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Crows Landing airfield redevelopment breaks ground on first phase
Crows Landing Business Park
The Crows Landing Business Park, with an estimated cost of $43 million, was one of the larger projects identified by the county in its Capital Improvement Plan over the next five years.

CROWS LANDING — More than two decades after the federal government transferred the former Crows Landing Air Facility to Stanislaus County, officials say the long-awaited redevelopment of the site is finally underway.

The Board of Supervisors has launched construction on the first phase of the Crows Landing Industrial Business Park, a 1,528-acre project designed to transform the former military airfield into a regional employment hub. The plan, adopted in 2018, envisions more than 14 million square feet of building space and a 370-acre public-use airport over the next 30 to 40 years.

Phase 1A of the project, which entered construction in late summer 2025, includes water and wastewater facilities, grading, drainage, utilities and road improvements. County officials estimate the backbone infrastructure will cost between $36 million and $42 million.

Funding for the project has come from multiple sources. The Board has dedicated $20 million in General Fund reserves, with $4.2 million already allocated for design and engineering. Nearly $3.5 million was secured in the 2023 federal budget through the Environmental Protection Agency’s State and Tribal Assistance Grants program, and supervisors approved $12 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds last year.

Quarterly reports on the project have been presented to the Board since August 2023 and will continue until completion. The latest update, dated Sept. 30, 2025, noted that some projects have identified funding that exceeds estimated costs. County staff said recommendations on reallocating excess funds will be brought forward as construction advances.

In total, supervisors have approved $55.8 million in ARPA funding for community infrastructure projects countywide, along with $6.2 million from the Building Community Infrastructure Fund.

Officials say the Crows Landing Industrial Business Park is intended to improve the county’s jobs-to-housing balance and provide sustainable-wage employment opportunities for residents, reducing the need for long commutes outside the region.