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ALUC 25-12 (Brann Ranch)
Determine whether Application No. ALUC-25-12 (Brann Ranch) to amend the City of Rio Vista’s General Plan and Zoning to establish a mixed-use development called Brann Ranch located within the Travis Air Force Base (AFB) Land Use Compatibility Plan (LUCP) Zone D, and the Rio Vista Municipal Airport LUCP, is consistent with both the AFB and the Rio Vista Municipal Airport LUCPs.
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RECOMMENDATION:
Receive the Staff Report and presentation, receive applicant/city presentation, conduct a public hearing, consider and discuss Application No. ALUC-25-12 (Brann Ranch), located within the Travis Air Force Base (AFB) Land Use Compatibility Plan (LUCP) Zone D, and the Rio Vista Municipal Airport LUCP, and take action, including making a consistency determination and adopting a resolution, as appropriate.
DISCUSSION:
Summary/Discussion
The 328-acre Brann Ranch Master Plan Community Development Project (“Project”) proposal is for a vesting tentative subdivision map for up to 1,073 single-family homes and 52 multi-family dwelling units, for a total of 1,125 dwelling units; a 2.4-acre mixed-use area, a 9.7-acre elementary school site, an 8.7-acre community park and four smaller neighborhood pocket parks, and supporting infrastructure and utilities. Requested entitlements include a General Plan Amendment, a Zoning Map Amendment, a Planned Unit Development (PUD) to establish the proposed land uses and development pattern, a Vesting Tentative Map, and a Development Agreement.
On August 22, 2025, the Public Draft EIR was released for public review and comment, and on October 6, 2025, the ALUC submitted comments regarding the Public Draft EIR. On November 14, 2025, the City of Rio Vista (“City”) referred the Project for an ALUC review and consistency determination. Since responses to the Public Draft EIR public comment letter had not been received, staff recommended that the application be deemed incomplete and returned to the ALUC for a consistency determination once the required information was received. An additional informational presentation took place at the January 8, 2026 ALUC hearing. A response to the ALUC’s Public Draft EIR comments were received on March 19, 2026.
The letter (Attachment E) addresses the applicant’s responses to ALUC staff’s concerns related to hazards to flight and density of residential development.
Location
The Project site is generally bounded by SR 12 on the south; McCormack Road on the north; Province Path and Liberty Island Road on the east; and agricultural land to the west. The Project site is bisected by Canright Road. The Project site is comprised of six parcels (APNs 0048-110-060, -460, -470, -480, -490, and -100).
AIRPORT PLANNING CONTEXT & ANALYSIS
General Plan amendments must undergo review by the ALUC for consistency with the applicable LUCPs (State Aeronautics Act section 21676). The proposed amendments would apply citywide, thus requiring consistency with the Travis AFB Compatibility Zone D, and the Rio Vista Municipal Airport LUCP Safety Zones 2, 4, and 6 (Attachment B).
ALUC Staff evaluated the Project using the Zone Compatibility criteria for Zone D of the Travis AFB LUCP and the Rio Vista Municipal Airport LUCP. Staff’s analysis of the Project is summarized below and in Attachment A.
Travis AFB ALUCP Zone D:
The Project site is located entirely within Zone D of the Travis AFB ALUCP, which has no limits on residential or non-residential density, and only lists prohibited uses as “hazards to flight” such as physical/visual objects and electronic interference. The Project is consistent with Travis AFB ALUCP Compatibility Zone D.
Rio Vista ALUCP Safety Zone 2:
Approximately 1.75-2 acres of the Project area fall within Zone 2, and that area is proposed to be used as open space.
Rio Vista ALUCP Safety Zone 4:
Table 1, Safety Zone 4, of the Rio Vista ALUCP authorizes a maximum residential density of 1 dwelling unit per 2 acres (.5 dwelling units per acre); and for nonresidential uses, an intensity of 100 people per acre, or 300 per acre for clustered development.
Within Safety Zone 4, approximately 59 acres of the Project is proposed to be used for a combination of detention ponds, parks, open space, mixed use and residential development. Most of the area (~48.5 acres) is proposed as park, detention basin and open space area. Commercial - Neighborhood Service/Mixed Use is proposed for ~9 acres of the Project located in Zone 4 to include commercial space, a fire station, and parking. An adjacent 52-multi-family residential development is proposed in Zone 6 in a future phase (see “Zone 6” below).
The Project proposes 29 single-family lots, some entirely in and some partially within Safety Zone 4. Some of the 29 single-family lots within Safety Zone 4 would not include any structures within Safety Zone 4, just a portion of the lots themselves.
On the northern edge of Safety Zone 4, approximately 1.4 acres of residential development is proposed, which would result in at least 10 dwelling units (actual structure as opposed to just the land) located within Safety Zone 4.
The Safety Compatibility Polices (section 5.3) at page 35 of the Rio Vista ALUCP states, “The objective of the land use safety compatibility criteria for Rio Vista Airport is to minimize the risks to people and property on the ground in the event of an off-airport aircraft accident or emergency landing.” The objective continues, “The most stringent land use controls shall be applied to the areas with greatest potential for risk.” In pursuit of this objective, Safety Policy (SP) -5 states:
With respect to the vicinity of the Airport, clustering is applicable only to nonresidential development.
Thus, clustering is not applicable to residential development. The policy continues, “For the purposes of this policy, the areas to be evaluated within the safety zones shall be rectangles, not irregular shapes.” (5.3, SP-5, section 2.a.)
Based upon these standards, Staff evaluated the Project using a rectangular grid methodology, applying reasonably proportioned two-acre rectangles or squares to evaluate whether any portion of the site exceeded one dwelling unit per two acres. In applying this methodology, dwelling units were not considered inconsistent solely because they were located within two acres of one another, so long as a reasonably proportioned two-acre rectangle or square could be positioned over a dwelling unit without encompassing another dwelling unit within the same rectangle or square. This methodology was employed to ensure compliance with the applicable density standard, and application of the governing safety compatibility policies (SP-5).
As proposed, the concentration of at least 10 dwelling units within approximately 1.4 acres of Safety Zone 4 results in a density significantly exceeding the allowable standard of one dwelling unit per two acres. Averaging density across the broader 59-acre Zone 4 area, as proposed by the applicant, is inconsistent with the intent of the ALUCP and the requirements of SP-5, which prohibit the use of irregular areas or clustering for residential development to dilute density calculations.
Accordingly, Staff finds that the Project exceeds the allowable residential density within Safety Zone 4 and is therefore inconsistent with the Rio Vista ALUCP.
The applicant has provided their explanation of how they determined that the density calculation of 0.49 units per acre using the entire Zone 4 area (Attachment F).
Regarding the approximately 1.4 acres in the northern portion of Safety Zone 4, the applicant supports an overall Residential Density of 0.17 dwelling units (actual structures) per acre based upon the total area of Zone 4 within the project boundary (59 acres) and consisting of ~10 dwelling units per acre in the Zone 4 areas designated for residential use. While not a policy in the Rio Vista Airport LUCP, it is worth noting the 59-acre area used in the applicant’s calculation does not subtract the 8.96-acre area proposed for nonresidential development when calculating the residential density, which would change the applicants calculation of residential density from 0.49 to 0.57 units per acre.
At the hearing, staff recommend the ALUC discuss and consider whether the applicant’s interpretation of the Rio Vista ALUCP (Table 1) Residential Density standards as applied to the proposed 1.4-acre residential development, including 10 residential units, conforms to Safety Zone 4 Residential Density limits.
Rio Vista ALUCP Safety Zone 6:
Within Safety Zone 6, most of the area will be devoted to residential development with 1,073 single-family homes and 52 multi-family dwelling units, for a total of 1,125 dwelling units, and will also include parks, open space, detention basins, and a site for a future school.
Noise:
Pursuant to the Rio Vista Airport LUCP’s Noise Compatibility Polices (Section 5.2) NP-2, to the greatest extent feasible, it is the objective of the ALUC to minimize new residential development within areas significantly impacted by noise from aircraft operations at Rio Vista Airport. For this purpose, the noise impact area is defined as being all locations within the CNEL 55 dB contour as shown on Figure 5.
New residential development is deemed normally unacceptable in areas exposed to noise levels between CNEL 55-64 db. Residential land uses in these areas must be sound insulated to achieve an indoor noise level of CNEL 45 dB or lower. Above CNEL 65 dB, new residential uses are prohibited.
Analysis Finding
Based on ALUC Staff’s review and as currently proposed, staff finds that the Brann Ranch General Plan Amendment and Rezoning Project is inconsistent with the Rio Vista’s ALUCP’s Safety Zone 4 residential density limits.
After consideration of the presentation by ALUC Staff, the applicant, and public comment, the ALUC could find the Project consistent should the applicant:
A. Prior to recording the Final Map, the Applicant shall prepare and record a Declaration of a Restrictive Use Easement over and upon Safety Zone 4 as agreed by the applicant, City, and ALUC Staff. The Legal Description and Plat shall be reviewed and approved by the City Attorney of the City of Rio Vista, the County of Solano and the Airport Land Use Commission Staff. The applicant shall provide copies of the recorded document to the City of Rio Vista and Solano County Prior to recording the Final Map.
B. Future development of Parcels C-3, C-4, and C-5 and any residential development in Zone 4 including Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) not specifically included in this application submittal and other future phases of development not evaluated as part of this application require a separate consistency determination by the ALUC prior to issuance of permits for development.
C. Reduce the number of single-family residential lots in the northern section of Safety Zone 4 to comply with the residential density limit of 1 dwelling unit per 2-acre rectangle (1 du/2 ac).
D. Include as a condition of approval of the tentative subdivision map that notice regarding aircraft operational impacts on the property shall be attached to the deed. An example of the Deed Notice is included in Appendix D of the TAFB LUCP.
E. Residential land uses within the CNEL 55 dB contour must be sound insulated to achieve an indoor noise level of CNEL 45 dB or lower.
With implementation of the recommended conditions of approval, this Project would be consistent with the requirements of the Travis AFB and Rio Vista ALUCPs; provided the commission finds the proposed density of residential development in Zone 4 consistent with the existing residential standards, or the Project is revised as required to meet those standards.
Upon making its consistency determination, direct ALUC staff to transmit a letter to the applicant reflecting the Commission’s determination.
Attachments
A: Airport Compatibility Zones Criteria
B: Compatibility Zones Map
C: Draft Resolution
D: ALUC staff EIR comment letter
E. Applicant response to EIR comment letter
F. Applicant’s interpretation of residential density requirements (Cox Castle letter Nov. 12, 2025)
G. Vesting Tentative Map main sheet 11.5.25
H. Brann Ranch PUD 4.7.26