The Little Manila Foundation, a grass-roots group seeking to preserve three historic buildings in Stockton’s Gleason Park area, is a viable competitor in the bid to win the entire project and should be able to meet the October proposal deadline, a former Oakland planning commissioner said Monday.

“Absolutely, they’re viable” said Vince Reyes, a veteran of nonprofit housing development and city planning in the East Bay. He said the group, led by Filipino activists who seek a role in the development of the old Little Manila area, is more than capable of submitting a winning bid for the eight-block project bounded by El Dorado, Lafayette, California and Church streets in downtown Stockton.

“They could be the nonprofit link to the community while a developer works on financing. It’s very feasible,” Reyes said.

Reyes served as a volunteer facilitator at a community meeting Sunday in Stockton that sought input from interested public members. He said the best ideas called for a mixed-use development, a combination of market-rate and affordable housing, plus stores and cultural venues such as a museum.

“The community wants the historic buildings preserved, but the city also needs revitalization,” Reyes said, referring to the Emerald Restaurant, the Rizal Social Club and the Mariposa Hotel. “The common ground is that people want to make a blighted area safe. I think there’s a way to integrate all those interests that would fulfill everyone’s needs.”

Dawn Mabalon, president of the Little Manila Foundation, said the group has talked about partnering with several developers. “The interest has been incredibly high among companies that do what we want to do — preservation and community development,” Mabalon said.

The group suffered a minor setback when former Stockton City Councilwoman Sylvia Sun Minnick submitted feedback in the form of a short treatise on downtown development. “While it may seem heartless or insensitive, the majority of the buildings in the redevelopment area should be demolished,” Minnick wrote.

“I’m disappointed that the former chair of the Cultural Heritage Board would recommend demolition of some of Stockton’s oldest buildings before an historical evaluation can even take place,” Mabalon said. “People continue to view what we’re doing as unrealistic. Then they realize what we do has been proven successful in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo and Seattle’s International district.”

More than 100 people attended the meeting Sunday at the Guild Hall at St. John’s Episcopal Church.

“There was great concern about the elderly who owned homes and their displacement,” said James Matarelli of Sacramento, who spoke for property owners at the meeting. “This group is strong, and I’m with them. It’s not a money thing. This is from the heart.”

A second meeting for community input is planned for July 27.