Planning commission clears way for vote
The Vacaville Planning Commission unanimously threw its support behind a mixed-use development along Alamo Drive behind the Lucky Supermarket on Peabody Road, but only after some discussion regarding a proposed water detention basin.
The project will now head to the City Council for its approval.
City Planner Peyman Behvand provided some details on the project. The property owners, the Gaspare family, are proposing to construct a residential/commercial mixed-use project on a 9.35acre parcel on Alamo across from Raleigh Drive.
The residential portion would consist of 73 townhomes, a clubhouse, common open space and two-car garages. All the units would utilize a modern design.
Behvand said the project would fulfill a housing need.
“These aren’t your typical single-family homes that you see that we have a lot of in the city,” he said. “It’s what’s considered ‘missing middle’ housing of townhomes, duplexes…this is the type of housing the city certainly needs, and 73 units would be helpful to our inventory.”
The commercial portion would consist of a 6,500-square foot commercial building with numerous storefronts and space to accommodate parking, landscaping and potential outdoor dining.
Also included in the project would be a stormwater detention basin since the project is located in a 100-year flood zone. The basin would be surrounded by a 4-foot fence to prohibit public access. According to a staff report by Behvand, the city is currently evaluating the construction of a citywide basin upstream from the project within the Alamo Creek watershed. Should the city detention basin or other stormwater management solutions be completed, then the basin for the project could be removed and replaced with commercial use for the second phase of the project. The future development of the detention basin site would be subject to a separate staff-level design review, Behvand wrote.
Commissioner Doug Beaumont felt the proposed fence around the basin was too short. Behvand said barriers around detention basins are typically small, and the public access along the project would be on sidewalks.
“We’re not anticipating that there’s gonna be a path around it,” he said. “We feel that 4 feet is sufficient.”
Commissioner Michael Fortney asked what the benefits would be to surrounding neighborhoods once the basin was instated. City Engineer Tim Burke said the project was conditioned to mitigate any kind of additional flow of water.
“It’s not gonna really add benefits to the existing surrounding
area, but it will prevent any additional flooding because of development for the surrounding area,” he said.
Fortney noted that one of the conditions of approval only allowed the basin to be constructed at the same time as other improvements within the project’s first phase and would be operational before any building permits were issued.
“We could be pushing half a year or farther out,” he said. “Is there any flexibility for us to work with staff or the applicant to figure something out?”
Burke said the project has been on the books for a long time, largely because of drainage issues.
“The existing neighborhood floods frequently,” he said. “What we don’t want to do is put the cart before the horse and start with buildings and building before we put in the detention facility.”
Burke said he understood the need for additional housing but did not want to impact the existing neighborhood with a drainage problem. He also said he did not want to see the project stall midway before the basin is completed. However, he said if the applicant came forth with a new plan, Public Works would revisit it.
Commissioner Brett Johnson said he understood the need to protect the surrounding neighborhoods for flooding caused by the construction of the project. However, he posed a scenario where if the project stalled, the water would go into the empty hole. Burke said this would only happen if it was graded properly.
“The way the condition reads is as long as it’s operational,” he said. “If it operates the way it’s supposed to, then that’s fine. They don’t have to put the final fencing around it, the landscape that needs to go around it to make sure that it’s complete as long as it’s operational.”
Johnson felt the project was overall well-designed but suggested the condition be amended to something more flexible.
“I would propose something along the lines of, ‘The basin shall be constructed
concurrently with the construction of Phase 1 improvements and shall be operational at the earlier of a date certain, which would be determined by Public Works, or the certificate of occupancy,’ he said.”
Chair Robert Macaulay felt the dates were too unclear. Beaumont felt it should be important for the basin to be constructed in the first phase.
“If you get rains, I want the water to be protective of the other lots around that acreage,” he said.
Johnson said he did not want the basin to be taken out of the first phase but rather to increase the time for developers to pull model building permits, which he said can take a long time.
“If you’re able to start your model homes earlier, you’re able to execute on your business plans earlier and that just makes it a more financially viable project,” he said.
Macaulay suggested adding language to allow Public Works to approve an alternative detention plan that would not result in stormwater damage to bordering properties, which was supported by the rest of the commission.
Public Works Director Shawn Cunningham said he liked the way the condition was already written and felt having it done by a specific date would create inconveniences, especially if the project stalled. He concurred with Macaulay’s suggestion and proposed to “leave the language the way that it is with an alternative that if the applicant comes in and convinces the city engineer that if they do have a way to commence work without having the basin operational, then there is a potential that we could approve that.”
The commission voted to approve the project with the suggested amendment to the condition.
In other business, the commission voted unanimously to recommend the city adopt a new public involvement strategy to encourage public participation in land use planning.