Planning commission OK’s 132-unit apartment site

On Monday evening, the planning grappled with the age-old question, “What came first, the chicken or the egg?”

At issue was a five-acre tract of land at Sonoma Boulevard and Magazine Street in south Vallejo. Developers proposed a 132-unit multi-family apartment complex in a spot that many residents were hoping to see retail, especially a grocery store. The question raised was whether or not the neighborhood could support a retail outlet, or if in order to draw more retail to the area, more housing should go in first.

In the end, the commission agreed to allow housing-only for the property, as opposed to retail or mixed use.

The spot has been “vacant and an eyesore since I was in grade school,” said Commissioner Jamar Stamps, adding that blighted areas should be refurbished in Vallejo and more residents could supply a tax base.

“I have concerns about South Vallejo being neglected,” said a speaker identified as Commissioner Gordon. “We need a grocery store.” Gordon and other callers all referred to the area as a “food desert,” which is defined as an urban area bereft of good quality, fresh food.

Stamps agreed that food deserts are an issue, but he said that there were worse areas of the city that have that problem and that, barring those with limited travel ability, this part of south Vallejo is at a “much more beneficial proximity” to grocery stores than some others.

Developer Stephen Schwartz has put forth a proposal for “Oakwood Apartments” on the land, consisting of multi-level apartments including six studios, 72 one-bedrooms, 54 two-bedrooms, along with a gym and a recreational use center. The complex would be surrounded by a black metal work fence and would essentially be a gated community, he said.

Schwartz made it very clear that he doesn’t oppose retail or commercial development, but that in his opinion the specifics of this location do not work for anything other than residential space.

“The economics simply don’t work for Vallejo,” he told the commission. “There’s an overabundance of commercial (property here). There’s too many vacant storefronts. The last thing we want to do is put up a building and let it go unrented… Unfortunately the numbers don’t pencil the basic economics of this site and create a fairly narrow path towards its development. There is a reason that the site has been sitting vacant for as long as it has.”

The developer was also against offering belowmarket rates for affordable housing on the site, saying that the only way it would be affordable for his company to build something there would be to charge full market rate for tenants once it is up.

Lone push-back against the development came from Commissioner Kathleen Diohep, who wanted more time to study how the plan does and does not conform with the general plan. As stated, the general plan allows for mixed use at the site, and she would like that to be considered. City Attorney Veronica Nebb told the commission that the general plan also allows for solely residential property to go into the site.

Aside from also being concerned about the food desert designation, Diohep was not enamored of the proposed design of the buildings, especially since they will be one of the first things people see if they take those first exits of Interstate 80.

“You won’t go, ‘Wow,’ something new is happening in Vallejo!’” she said. “Instead you see a lot of iron fences and a lot of asphalt… They are going to look like a row of barracks.”

Ultimately, every commissioner except for Diohep voted to go forward with the project, some in hopes that by bringing more housing, more retail opportunities will evolve to meet the need.

To see the specs of the development, go to City Agendas on at www. cityofvallejo.net and click on Planning Commission.