Planning Commission to consider demolition, rebuild of Best Western
The Best Western on East Monte Vista Avenue, which has provided a rest area for Interstate 80 travelers since 1965, could receive a visit from the wrecking ball as the city considers an application to construct a new, expanded Best Western in its place.
Before that can happen, the Vacaville Planning Commission will need to approve a planned development request at its Tuesday meeting.
The Best Western dates back to 1964 when the commission approved a variance to construct a hotel at the site, according to a staff report by Planning Technician Saul Uribe. The hotel opened a year with two stories, as that is what was permitted under the Nut Tree Airport Land Use Zone height restriction at the time. Since 2018, the twostory limit has been removed, allowing for taller buildings to be constructed in the area.
Additionally, the request would also demolish the neighboring building at 1410 E. Monte Vista, which was built in 1980 and was the home of scuba, ski and snowboard retailer Sports Cove from 1985 until its closure earlier this year.
The new Best Western would be constructed on 1.67 acres and consist of 94 rooms in four stories. The proposal would also reconfigure the driveway entrance on East Monte Vista and build a new parking lot area, trash enclosure and perimeter landscaping, Uribe wrote.
The applicant, Rob Sesar of A2R Architects, is also requesting a variety of exceptions to development standards, Uribe wrote. These include increasing the Floor Area Ratio from the permitted 0.3 to 0.75, the building height from 40 to 52 feet, reducing the required landscaping setback along the freeway right-of-way from 12 to 2 feet as well as the landscaping setback on East Monte Vista from 10 to 4.5 feet — all items which staff are supportive of, according to the report. The landscaping would be mandated to include a range of plants including bushes, grasses and evergreen vines, Uribe wrote.
The building would be constructed with cement plaster and stone veneer and have colors in line with neighboring restaurants and buildings.
Moreover, “All elevations will also include overhangs and undulating exterior walls that give different depth and shadow lines to the building, avoiding bland building facades,” Uribe wrote.
Staff is recommending the commission approve the request.
In other business, the commission will receive updates on historical preservation guidelines in the
Downtown Specific Plan, airport land use in the Land Use and Development Code and an overall update on the General Plan’s Transportation Element and Energy and Conservation Action Strategy.
The commission will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday. The meeting can be viewed on Channel 26 or on the city’s YouTube page at Youtube. com/channel/UCLC4Gd7Z4rwlWOciZVhlJJw. Viewers who would like to participate in the meeting can join at Cov.zoom.us/j/9583 6284733?pwd=Z1lQWm5x RnAzMEZIR2pxUFpTNlhmdz09 using the password “677771” and the “Raise hand” function.
They may also join by phone at 877-853-5257 or 888-475-4499. Participants may dial *67 to keep their number from appearing on the screen.