Nut Tree Development Dreams Downsized
The City of Vacaville is about to let the "Nut Tree Dream" go south. What we were originally sold on, a unique and vibrant gateway to our city. A one of a kind "destination development" that would bring back some of the great things that the original Nut Tree offered. Those plans have been lost. What we have received is a strip mall with the normal, found just about everywhere, big box anchor retail outlets. What is more dissappointing is that the remaining development will incourage non-retail tennants that will not attract any I-80 traveler dollars. "Service-oriented" use is the new goal to help Nut Tree Associates fill their ill-planned two story buildings along the East Monte Vista Drive complex. Everyone knew that retail doesn't like 2nd floor seating. The exposure to foot and street traffic to tennants of those two buildings is minimal. Development concept flaws are what the City of Vacaville is trying to mend.
City staff is advising us that "certain compromises in terms of the quality of uses" is a "possible stategy toward finishing out the retail development". They also state that "the economic atmosphere in which the Nut Tree redevelopment project was concieved is different than what the city faces today". I would think that the city staff and the land developers would be thinking with the big picture in mind. A project that would be able to weather the test of an up and down economy. Investing is much like land developing. Quality lasts, go for the best products with good financial backing and history. Our City staff, usually quick to do what is right, in a knowledgable way, now considers the Nut Tree project "a learning process and a normal process to see what works and how we can improve it" according to Senior Planner Peyman Behvand. I know Mr. Behvand to be a very concientous fellow who want to do what is right. This tells me that we have a serious long term problem with our "Gateway to Vacaville".
From the start there was a serious flaw in the plans that the Snell Group brought to Vacaville Planners. There was no involvment of the large land use just north of the project, the Nut Tree Airport. No gateway to the airport was ever proposed. A total disconnect between our City Staff and County Staff promoted total disreguard of the airport bordering Nut Tree Development's northern flank. The other flaw was the planned use of the property most affected by the airport, the land closest to the Runway Protection Zone. This area was designated to have high density housing, a hotel and conference complex as well as business suites. Now the city wants to strike the word "Hotel" from the plan. We have always wanted a Hotel and convention center. Placed in the right area, it would be what would draw people to Vacaville. The Ball Park would be a great place for that. This was a poorly conceived development from the start. How to make it work at this point, let's see what it is like in ten years.
City staff is advising us that "certain compromises in terms of the quality of uses" is a "possible stategy toward finishing out the retail development". They also state that "the economic atmosphere in which the Nut Tree redevelopment project was concieved is different than what the city faces today". I would think that the city staff and the land developers would be thinking with the big picture in mind. A project that would be able to weather the test of an up and down economy. Investing is much like land developing. Quality lasts, go for the best products with good financial backing and history. Our City staff, usually quick to do what is right, in a knowledgable way, now considers the Nut Tree project "a learning process and a normal process to see what works and how we can improve it" according to Senior Planner Peyman Behvand. I know Mr. Behvand to be a very concientous fellow who want to do what is right. This tells me that we have a serious long term problem with our "Gateway to Vacaville".
From the start there was a serious flaw in the plans that the Snell Group brought to Vacaville Planners. There was no involvment of the large land use just north of the project, the Nut Tree Airport. No gateway to the airport was ever proposed. A total disconnect between our City Staff and County Staff promoted total disreguard of the airport bordering Nut Tree Development's northern flank. The other flaw was the planned use of the property most affected by the airport, the land closest to the Runway Protection Zone. This area was designated to have high density housing, a hotel and conference complex as well as business suites. Now the city wants to strike the word "Hotel" from the plan. We have always wanted a Hotel and convention center. Placed in the right area, it would be what would draw people to Vacaville. The Ball Park would be a great place for that. This was a poorly conceived development from the start. How to make it work at this point, let's see what it is like in ten years.
The Nutree Project was doomed to failure the minute it decided to not include the one Gateway portion of the area; The Airport. The Airport is what originally brought in customers for the Nuttree and was the basis of the area for a long time before I-80 became the thoroughfare it is today. Integrate the airport back into the plan, establish a through the fence agreement to give general and corporate aviation a destination and a good home and the area may thrive once again. Bring down the lease prices of the new Nuttree, second story retail spaces, open them up for private or even temporary office spaces (draw some corporate customers out of the city, give them a place to stage from and an airport to fly from), Spruce up the airport; build more corporate sized hangars, get a good FBO in place with a piston and Jet repair center, open up an easy path to the Nuttree "offices" from the airport and extend the runway and widen the taxiway..Use the land around the airport to draw in more aviation based business and look into building executive style airparkand custom homes on the opposite side of the runway with a solid through the fence agreement to draw in even more city and county tax funds as well as funds slated directly to the airport. With a little cooperation from the city, state and county (Not to mention the FAA) the Nuttree airport could grow into a mainstay of corporate and general aviation monies for the area. And possibly make the Nuttree popular again, Where people could come watch the airplanes, eat a good meal and ride the Nuttree train, all before they walk over to their conference at the hotel.
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What is happening at the Nut Tree airport, no FBO, people are leaving, gas is out of sight, tenants are not happy with the manager, the county's big plan is out the window, In my book the airport was better off when it was a grass strip 50 years ago. Looks like a ship without a rudder or crew at the helm.
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IT's now 2009 and nothing new seems to have developed since mid last year. No progress on an FBO or training center, no deal with Travis Aero club to allow them in to train. NO air shows, marketing or progress towards communication save the one bit coming from Andy in the form of a newsletter. Heck, even the Solano Pilots Association has not updated the website for quite some time. I know for a fact that there are some very influential and smart people involved with airport affairs, the Solano Pilots, the NTAAC and the like. Yet nothing seems to be moving forward. When this Airport was Private it was more widely used and well known than now. With the economy in the toilet and the city and county struggling just to survive why hasn't anyone taken the lead to bring business and revenue in from the airport. And I'm not talking about taxing and raising rates at the airport! (Unless your trying to drive away all the potential business). The bickering of the past and the silence now between all the involved groups needs to stop! County, City, Airport Management and the Pilot Associations need to get together hash out their problems and come up with a viable 5 year plan. The ten year plan has failed miserably for the last 20 years, something needs to be done now, while interest rates are low, land is available and something new and fresh is needed to boost the local economy. (is it a fix for all our problems?, NO of course not, but its a start). Everyone seems to be talking about their great visions for the airport and what it should be.. Well isn't time to figure out how to make those visions a reality no matter how outlandish they may be to some?!
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