Vacaville Planning Commission supports revised Allison Apartments plan – Vacaville Reporter

A revised proposal for an apartment complex off Allison Drive will be heading back to the Vacaville City Council after the Planning Commission unanimously recommended the new plan at Tuesday’s meeting.

The project by CFY Development had gone before the council for a density bonus request in December, but the council instead voted 6-1 to continue the project to address concerns raised before the council that evening.

CFY subsequently returned with a new plan, which Associate Planner Albert Enault went over at Tuesday’s Planning Commission meeting. The project is located at the southeast corner of Allison Drive and Nut Tree Parkway within an area known as the Allison Priority Development Area, approved by the council in 2015 to create “a mixed-use, transit-rich type of development” area. Apartment complexes already constructed in the area, under construction or being proposed include the Strada 1200 Apartments, Pony Express Senior Apartments, Harbison Townhomes and Peabody Apartments.

The proposed site plan for the Allison Apartments is the same as what went before the council, but rather than being 187 units, it has been reduced to 135 units. Enault said this in turn changed the density from 70 to 50 units per acre.

Other changes included decreasing the building height from 70 to 60 feet, parking increased from 133 to 139 stalls and the amount of common open space increased with the addition of a rooftop terrace.

Enault said the council previously expressed concerns that the amount of parking was insufficient, which the applicant has addressed by reducing the overall units. This move increased the parking ratio from 0.71 to 1.03 stalls per unit.

Another concern expressed by council members was the lack of balconies. While CFY will not be providing these, having previously listed the lack of balconies as a concession to development standards in the density bonus request, it has changed the floor plans to allow for an additional storage closet per unit to address prior concerns there would not be enough space to store valuables and equipment.

The council had also requested limited leasing to those who work or live in Vacaville. Enault said it would be illegal under state law to impose such restrictions and would also limit the applicant’s ability to obtain funding from the state. However, he said CFY would be open to giving preference to Vacaville residents or employees through a point-based system, and the apartments would be advertised and marketed in Vacaville.

John Cicerone, CFY president and CEO, went into further detail on the project, which he said dates back to 2019 when he became aware of the opportunity for development.

“We thought that, in this era where we’re trying to get people to live closer to their daily destination (and) reduce commute times, it might be appropriate to really do a transit-oriented workforce development project,” he said. “We were inspired by the buildings we’ve done in other areas.”

Initially, Cicerone said CFY proposed a three-story building in 2019, but this was scrapped after CFY was unable to close the funding gap. A year later, he said the company was able to solve the funding issue by increasing density. However, he said the new design posed access issues for vehicles coming off Travis Way.

“The whole building was flipped and reconfigured to Allison Drive, which solved all the loading issues,” he said.

Cicerone reviewed some of the amenities of the new proposal, which includes an outdoor lounge, tot lot, basketball hoops, exterior smoking shelter, indoor community room, fitness center, outdoor patio, bike parking, social services area and a rooftop with a lounge and barbecue pit.

“For a project like Allison, it is robust,” he said. “We have as many amenities at Allison as I have at my Cannery project (in Davis).”

Vice Chair Brandon Kline said the project’s close proximity to Interstate 80 and other major thoroughfares had the potential to bring in more traffic and asked if a traffic study was done. Enault said city engineers observed traffic patterns at peak hours and determined that all roadways were designed to accommodate traffic.

Commissioner Wendy Breckon asked what security measures were in place. Cicerone said parking would have gated access, and buildings would have some kind of special security access, likely with key fobs. Additionally, he said there would be video surveillance in corridors, elevators and common spaces.

“It is a secure environment,” he said. “We care nothing more than the safety of our tenants.”

The commissioners were supportive of the project.

“This is filling a segment of housing in Vacaville that we need,” Commissioner Ralph Lightfoot said. “This meets all the requirements, and what you brought before us is even better than the last.”

Commissioner Michael Fortney said he was pleased that CFY worked to address the council’s concerns.

“I think the real benefactors will be the 135 individuals and families that will get to call this place home with a rooftop terrace,” he said.

The commission voted 6-0 to recommend the revised project to the City Council. Chair Robert Macaulay.

If approved by the council, Cicerone said CFY hopes to start issuing financing applications as early as February, with construction anticipated to start in late 2022 and leasing expected to start in 2025.