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ALUC-24-07 (Eubanks and Cotting Lane Amendments)
Determine that Application No. ALUC-24-07 (Eubanks and Cotting Lane Amendments) located within the Travis Air Force Base (AFB) Compatibility Zone D and Nut Tree Airport Compatibility Zones D, E and F, is consistent with the applicable Airport Land Use Compatibility Plans (City of Vacaville)
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RECOMMENDATION:
Determine that Application No. ALUC-24-07 (Eubanks and Cotting Lane Amendments) located within the Travis Air Force Base (AFB) Compatibility Zone D and Nut Tree Airport Compatibility Zones D, E and F, is consistent with the applicable Airport Land Use Compatibility Plans (City of Vacaville).
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
The City is processing a General Plan Amendment and Zoning Map Amendment to change the designations of twelve (12) properties from Commercial Office to Industrial Park located at 610, 630 and 640 Eubanks Court, 855 Cotting Lane, 700 Eubanks Drive, 803 Vaca Valley Parkway, 250 and 300 Crocker Drive. All properties have been developed with industrial buildings, parking lots and includes City Fire Station 73. The amendments would allow commercial office uses to occupy the buildings.
The properties are located mainly in Nut Tree Airport Compatibility Zone D and small portions of the properties are located in Zone E and F. If the amendments are approved, the existing business such as City Fire Station 73 and training center, Pure Grain Bakery, contractors and signage fabrication would be allowed to continue to operate; however, the new land uses would be restricted to standards in the Compatibility Zone Criteria and City’s Airport Environment Overlay Zones. A complete list of existing businesses and description is included in Attachment D. Staff finds that the proposed amendments are consistent with the applicable compatibility zones.
Project Description
Background: In 2023, two property owners controlling six parcels of land at 610-640 Eubanks Court (Area II) contacted the City Community Development Department to express their concern that various business licenses were denied for their properties as a result of the elimination of policy plans and zoning map change. City staff evaluated the subject sites and determined the recent Code update changed the list of allowable land uses that could be established for those properties. The property owners evaluated the prospects of retrofitting their buildings to accommodate different land uses permitted in the Commercial Office and found this task to be infeasible because the buildings were constructed between 1988 to 1992 for industrial tenants, and it would be equally impractical to demolish the existing buildings and construct new ones. Therefore, property owners applied to change their properties back to Industrial Park; a third property owner for 855 Cotting Lane was added shortly thereafter.
As part of the initial evaluation process, City staff searched the surrounding area to determine whether similar conditions were present in other areas of the Interchange Business Park. City staff found six additional parcels of land that were originally developed for industrial uses and would face similar issues leasing industrial tenant spaces. These additional properties include 700 Eubanks Drive, 803 Vaca Valley Parkway, 250 Crocker Drive, and 300 Crocker Drive. On February 13, 2024, the City Council initiated General Plan Amendments for all 12 parcels of land. Refer to Attachment B and C for property locations and Compatibility Zones.
Project Information
The General Plan serves as the long-range master plan for the City guiding the direction of development within the community. As conditions within the City change, it becomes necessary to amend or update the General Plan to ensure its effectiveness. The subject properties are developed with existing industrial buildings and hardscape surfaces used for parking and outdoor storage. Before 2022, the property owners were allowed to lease tenant spaces to industrial uses consistent with the Interchange Business Park Policy Plan. As noted above, Policy Plans were abolished when the City Council adopted a comprehensive Code update in 2022, and the zoning was changed to Commercial Office to be consistent with the General Plan land use designation. As indicated in the project description, the property owners have indicated retrofitting their buildings to accommodate Commercial Office land uses, such as retail and general merchandise, professional or medical offices, or personal services uses, is problematic. Therefore, the property owners are requesting to change the designation to Industrial Park to allow the types of land uses that were intended for the buildings, such as trade contractor shops, general warehousing, and distribution.
The proposed amendments are needed to help maintain the City’s existing inventory of small industrial buildings to serve existing or new land uses. The original vision for office has changed due to the increased support and access for remote work, which has resulted in a decrease in the need for office buildings. Currently, there is a need for the City to provide smaller industrial buildings for new startup businesses. The current properties and surrounding roads and infrastructure were designed to accommodate industrial land uses and depicted in the Interchange Business Park Policy Plan. No modifications or improvements to the City’s infrastructure are needed to serve these existing properties.
AIRPORT PLANNING CONTEXT & ANALYSIS
General Plan and Zoning regulations amendments must undergo review by the ALUC for consistency with the applicable LUCPs (State Aeronautics Act section 21676). The proposed amendments would apply to the subject properties located in Compatibility Zones D of the Travis AFB LUCP and compatibility zones D, E and F, of the Nut Tree Airport Plan (Attachment A).
Staff evaluated the City’s project applicable Compatibility Zone Criteria and analysis of the project is summarized in Attachment A.
Analysis Finding
Based on the review, staff finds that the proposed changes comply with the requirements of the zones to protect flight and are consistent with the Travis AFB Land Use Compatibility Plan (LUCP) and Nut Tree Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan.
Attachments
Attachment A: Airport Compatibility Zones Criteria
Attachment B: Airport Zones with Imagery Large Scale
Attachment C: Airport Site Map Zoomed-In
Attachment D: Project Description from Property Owners
Attachment E: Draft Resolution