Land Use Alternatives Process

A major component of the City’s General Plan is the land use diagram, which assigns land use designations to every parcel in the city. The land use designation indicates the types of uses that are allowed on each parcel. As part of the General Plan Update, the City is exploring land use alternatives for key areas throughout the city where transformations or enhancement of existing uses is expected or desired over the next 20 years. The land use alternatives identify different approaches to development for these key areas by considering different land use designations. As explained below, after the consultant team and City staff evaluate the land use alternatives, the public, Steering Committee and City Council will consider the evaluation and develop a preferred land use alternative. The preferred land use alternative will become the land use diagram for the updated General Plan, which will guide future development and conservation in Vacaville.

For many areas of Vacaville, particularly established residential neighborhoods and successful commercial or industrial areas, the existing General Plan land use designation is considered to be appropriate and is not expected to change.

Three alternative land use scenarios have been developed for targeted areas, including:

  • East of Leisure Town Road Growth Area
  • Northeast Growth Area
  • Underutilized Shopping Centers
  • Downtown Vacaville
  • Vacaville Unified School District Properties
  • Business Park and Industrial Park Policy Plan Areas
  • Other Miscellaneous Properties

To view a map and read background material about the Growth Areas, click here. To view a map and learn more about the other targeted areas, click here.

For the East of Leisure Town Road and Northeast Growth Areas, the three alternative land use scenarios are:

  • Alternative A, the Focused Growth Alternative, which allows the least amount of development and designates much of the land for Agriculture.
  • Alternative B, the Town Grid Alternative, which allows the most amount of development and focuses mixed use development around a new town square.
  • Alternative C, the Traditional Suburban Alternative, which reflects the alternative provided by Phillippi Engineering on behalf of a consortium of local landowners.

The three alternatives for the other targeted areas follow three general themes:

  • Alternative A, the Existing Land Use Alternative. maintains the existing character of Vacaville as much as possible.
  • Alternative B, the Neighborhood Centers Alternative, focuses on creating new neighborhoods or revitalizing existing neighborhoods.
  • Alternative C, the Increased Parks, Housing, and Commercial Alternative, promotes higher densities and intensities of development.

The land use alternatives were developed with input from:

  • A Community Workshop
  • Workshops with property owners and residents in the Growth Areas and the Locke Paddon community, which is situated between the two Growth Areas.
  • Steering Committee Meetings
  • City Council Study Session #2
  • City staff
  • The General Plan Consultant team led by The Planning Center | DC&E

The land use alternatives were finalized during City Council Study Session #2. At this time, the land use alternatives are being evaluated and compared to assess potential impacts and benefits. Specifically, the land use alternatives are being evaluated based on impacts to:

  • Utilities and infrastructure
  • Transportation
  • Economics and fiscal issues
  • Public services
  • Environmental resources

A preferred land use alternative will then be selected through the following steps:

  • Community Workshop #2. At this Community Workshop, the public will provide input on the three land use alternatives and will be asked to create a preferred alternative.
  • Steering Committee Meetings. The Steering Committee will help draft and select a preferred land use alternative based in part on input received from Community Workshop #2.
  • City Council Study Sessions. The City Council will review the input from the community and Steering Committee and will give direction on the final Preferred Land Use Alternative.