Council to get first look at new building
The Vallejo City Council will get its first look at a proposed plan to build a new two-story building, featuring a high-end restaurant, along with wine and olive oil tastings, on the city’s waterfront.
Councilors will be asked Tuesday night to direct City Manager Greg Nyhoff to negotiate a longterm lease with the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation for the parcel of land at 285 Mare Island Way.
The current site, which formerly held a dental office, is located near the ferry terminal in the heart of the waterfront. The property is owned by the city in a public trust and has been leased to the Adams Family Trust since 1974, The lease is set to expire in 2024, city staff said.
Yocha Dehe acquired the rights to the property and is now looking to extend the terms to allow for the demolition of the current structure and construction of the new building, called the Seka Hills Restaurant and Cultural Center.
Early plans call for a restaurant on the second floor overlooking the Mare Island Strait, along with tasting areas for wine and olive oil, and a cultural space on the ground floor.
“The proposed Seka Hills Restaurant and Cultural Center is consistent with the uses allowed by the Public Trust Doctrine, and
will revitalize a catalyst site for the City and its Waterfront development,” staff wrote in the same report to the council. “Negotiating a long-term ground lease will provide the site control necessary for the proposed development to move forward through an entitlement, California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and permitting process.”
Under the original lease terms, the lessee was required to construct a building and operate a business along the waterfront.
Yocha Dehe, an independent, self-governed nation, owns Cache Creek Casino Resort in Brooks.
The Times-Herald first reported the proposed development on Dec. 16.
Reached for comment at the time, Vallejo Mayor Bob Sampayan said the development “will really accent the waterfront.”
“I’m convinced this is a development which will change the face of Vallejo, while also helping to spur development of the downtown,” he added last month.
The Vallejo City Council will meet at 7 p.m., Tuesday, inside the Vallejo City Hall Council Chambers, 555 Santa Clara St.