Vacaville Planning Commission to revisit Harvest Ridge

The Vacaville Planning Commission is expected to approve the reaffirmation of a previous environmental assessment and subdivision map for the Harvest Ridge Subdivision at Tuesday evening's meeting. The 9.91-acre site sits at the northwest corner of Leisure Town Road and Redstone Parkway, and would create 134 lots for single-family market-rate homes, according to the city's staff report on the agenda item.

The Community and Economic Development Department received a request to change the area's land use designation from Residential High Density to Residential Medium density in September. The council approved all of the project except for the tentative subdivision plan on Feb. 25.

The subdivision's proposed lots range from 2,100 to 5,291 square feet and include 307 off-street parking spaces with enclosed garages, private driveways, and three small off-street parking lots. The project would provide 30 on-street parking spots in the subdivision as well, maintained by the Homeowners Association along with the subdivision's private alleyways.

"Access to the site would be provided by one entrance on Scarlet Street and one entrance on Burgundy Street. The project has been revised to comply with the minimum front yard setback of 18 ft., and no deviation is needed for this standard," the staff report reads.

The item's tentative subdivision map has been returned to the planning commission after the city council passed the environmental assessment, Zoning Map Amendment, and General Plan Amendment. The council decided not to act on the tentative subdivision map because they concluded that a request to reduce the front building setback from 18 feet to 5 feet could become a danger for motorists and pedestrians, allowing the applicant and staff to discuss other possible mutually agreeable solutions. On March 23, the applicant submitted a revised Tentative Subdivision Map.

Senior Planner Albert Enault told the council in February that staff supports some deviations to city standards proposed by the developer, but did not agree to deviations for driveways shallower than city standards allow. While the applicant requested the standard be waived and the Planning Commission supported those standards, city staff expressed concerns that the views of motorists and pedestrians could be obstructed.

"Staff really did their best to facilitate multiple meetings; there is a chronology within the staff report that showcases that," he said. "Unfortunately, the best way to really address this is a redesign."

Staff ultimately supported the general plan and zoning amendments, but could not come to an agreement on the Tentative Subdivision Map. Police Chief Chris Polen said his department opposed the deviation due to concerns that homeowners would drive too fast on interior roads in the new subdivision. He was concerned that without a redesign, cars would stick out into sidewalks where kids walk and ride bikes, creating a hazard.

"That is not something that I want to deal with as a Police Department," he said. "This is just a five-foot setback, and in my opinion, it's going to create a safety hazard that is not going to create the quality of life that we need for this particular community."

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