Council approves contractor use of city-owned 540 Gavilan Drive as staging yard with traffic and outreach conditions

The City of Soledad on Sept. 3 approved a license agreement permitting Specialty Construction Inc. to use the city-owned lot at 540 Gavilan Drive as a construction staging yard for the Soledad recycled water conveyance project, subject to a required traffic/operations control plan and city-led public outreach. Mayor Ana Velasquez said the council would add conditions to ensure neighborhood safety and public notice.

The staging yard decision followed a staff presentation explaining that 540 Gavilan is a city-owned vacant lot that the contractor identified as the most centralized location for the pipeline work. Alex Ramos, assistant engineer for the City of Soledad Public Works Department, said the site is immediately available, would be fenced and maintained by the contractor, and that the license includes a 30-day city termination right if the property is needed for future housing development.

Council members raised concerns about pedestrian safety and vehicle impacts in the Gavilan/Orchard area, particularly during peak school travel times. Ramos and City Manager Megan Hunter told the council the contractor will be required to submit a traffic/operations control plan that specifies hours of operation and limits on haul-truck trips; the plan also must address site screening and daily cleanup of tracked material. Hunter said the city will pair that requirement with “robust social media” outreach so residents know where and when work will happen.

Council members and staff said the agreement will not cost the city money and could reduce maintenance costs on the idle lot because the contractor will perform weed abatement and site grading while it is used. The council recorded a voice vote approving the license agreement with the added conditions; the motion passed and was announced as carried.

What the agreement does not do is change the city’s longer-term plans for 540 Gavilan Drive. Ramos said the city expects to issue a request for qualifications to solicit a housing developer and that construction on a housing project would still be at least two years away; the license contains language allowing earlier termination if needed to accommodate future development.

Council direction: staff and the contractor must deliver a traffic/operations control plan for city approval that addresses hours and trip limits, maintain site cleanliness, and the city will lead a social-media/outreach campaign to alert residents of construction phases and timing.