The City of Vacaville has a General Plan, adopted by the City Council, that identifies where new housing and commercial developments are anticipated over a 20-year period. As new developments are proposed, the City ensures that developments are consistent with the General Plan and zoning requirements. The City of Vacaville does not have jurisdiction over local schools.

The City of Vacaville is served mainly by the Vacaville Unified School District (VUSD) and the Travis Unified School District (TUSD). However, a portion of the city is located within the Dixon Unified School District (DUSD), and a small portion of the Lower Lagoon Valley area falls within the jurisdiction of the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District (FSUSD).

Each District is represented by a board, elected by district residents. The City of Vacaville works closely with the local school districts to accommodate anticipated growth. Senate Bill (SB) 50, approved in 1998 and funded by Proposition 1A, prevents the City of Vacaville from requiring home developers to mitigate their impact on schools as a condition of approving new development and provides for a standardized impact fee for schools. Under SB 50, local school districts are responsible for setting the fee and implementing the specific methods for mitigating school impacts.

In 2020, California Senate Bill (SB) 330 amended the State of California’s Permit Streamlining Act and Housing Accountability Act with the broad goals of facilitating increased production of new residential units, protecting existing units, and providing for an expedited review and approval process for housing development projects through submittal of a “preliminary application.” 

The goal of the Housing Accountability Act is to significantly increase the approval and construction of new housing for all economic segments of California’s communities by restricting the ability of local governments to deny, reduce the density, or render infeasible housing development projects and emergency shelters.

Approval of the law was based, in part, on concern that local governments unduly restrict housing development. When the law was adopted the State found that the lack of housing constrains employment growth, creates urban sprawl and excessive commuting, contributes to poor air quality and poor health, and creates discrimination against low-income and minority households.  Findings supporting amendments to the law provide that according to reports and data, California had accumulated an unmet housing backlog of nearly 2,000,000 units and must provide for at least 180,000 new units annually to keep pace with growth through 2025.

The key effect of these new laws on City of Vacaville’s development review process is that SB 330 requires that “qualifying housing development projects” be processed in an expeditious manner when the projects are designed consistent with zoning, and the law limits the City’s ability to reject qualifying housing development projects. “Housing development projects” are defined in State law as a “[land] use consisting of residential units only, mixed-use developments consisting of residential and nonresidential uses with at least 2/3 of the square footage designated for residential use, and transitional or supportive housing.” Because of this definition, the updated Housing Accountability Act applies to virtually all housing development projects.

City staff presented information about SB 330 and its effect on the City of Vacaville during the September 13, 2022 City Council Meeting. View the video and read the staff report for additional information.

The Jepson Parkway Project upgrades a series of narrow local roads to provide a north-south travel route for residents.  The plan proposes a continuous four-lane roadway from State Route 12 / Walters Road intersection in Suisun City to the I-80 / Leisure Town Road interchange in Vacaville.  The project also includes safety improvements, such as medians, traffic signals, shoulders, and a separated sidewalk. 

In 2018 the City completed Phase I of the Jepson Parkway project with improvements made from the southern city limit at Vanden Road north to Elmira Road.  Jepson Parkway Phase II will continue the improvement from Elmira Road to New Ulatis Creek (just north of Stonegate Drive).  Phase II is anticipated to go to bid and construction this spring with a completion date of summer 2024.

If the project is approved and the case is dismissed the City will pay the developer $90,000 toward attorneys’ fees.

If the project is approved, the developer has agreed to pay $1.4 million over a two-year period.  If any project approval is challenged, the amount would decrease by $200,000.

The City Council will evaluate the adequacy of the environmental document as part of the public hearing on the project.

The developer has made revisions to the internal parking plan to accommodate 34 additional spaces inside the project complex.

Yes, if the project is approved, the City can require the property owner/manager to enforce the parking management plan.