Vacaville planning commission denies appeal, affirms De Colores Park approval; sound wall deferred to later phase

Vacaville City Planning Commission on Tuesday denied an appeal asking that a masonry sound wall on the eastern boundary of the planned De Colores (Brown Street) neighborhood park be built in Phase 1, affirming the Community Development director’s October approval of the project.

The commission’s decision came after a staff presentation and public comment from nearby residents and a representative of Paradise Cove mobile home park, who said construction noise and long uncertainty over Phase 2 created significant concern. The motion to deny the appeal was made by Commissioner Beaumont and seconded by Commissioner Vargas; the commission voted to deny the appeal and affirm the director’s approval.

Staff said the 3.4-acre project, approved Oct. 31, 2024, was subject to a minor design review and a tree removal permit. Eileen Lee, assistant planner in the Community Development Department, summarized the approved Phase 1 scope: a roughly 2,500-square-foot recreation building, a 600-square-foot stage, picnic areas, sports courts and 16 parking spaces; Phase 2 would add a 10,000-square-foot housing and community services building and 29 additional parking spaces. Lee said the city received a $6.7 million state award under the statewide park development and community revitalization program in December 2021 and that City Council later approved an additional $6.7 million in Measure M funds for the park.

Lee told the commission staff’s environmental review (an initial study–mitigated negative declaration prepared with LSA) and the project findings support approval and that the arborist report showed most on-site trees were decayed or not high-preservation species under the Vacaville Municipal Code, so replacement trees were required. She said staff had considered alternatives in response to public concerns and recommended denying the appeal and affirming the director’s approval.

Public works staff provided cost and schedule information. Sharon Chan of Public Works said the portion of the eastern masonry wall that would be deferred—about 342 linear feet—would cost approximately $250,000. Commission questions and public comments focused on noise during construction, the distance between the park’s activity areas and the eastern property line, whether parking in Phase 2 would bring cars closer to residents, and how long Phase 1 construction would take.

Steven Strand, who identified himself as representing Paradise Cove, said construction activity and equipment staging would concentrate near the eastern boundary and that mobile home walls are thin. “The sound wall…a brick wall would cut the sound by 20 to 30 decibels,” Strand told the commission, and he urged the commission to consider moving or reallocating park elements to fund the eastern masonry wall sooner.

Staff answered that Phase 1 activities were oriented away from the eastern residents, that there is roughly a 70-foot buffer between active park areas and the eastern property line, and that a chain-link fence with privacy slats would be used temporarily between Phase 1 and Phase 2. Tamara Colvin, director of Housing and Community Services, told the commission there is no identified funding source for Phase 2 at this time; staff said the Measure M, state park award and an identified CDBG allocation are intended to cover Phase 1 and that the budget offers “very little wiggle room.” Construction of Phase 1 was estimated at about a year to 18 months.

Staff also noted city code construction hours that limit most construction work to 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and pointed to mitigation measure NOI‑1 in the staff packet that requires measures to reduce construction noise while work is underway. Staff emphasized that sound walls mitigate long-term operational noise rather than short-term construction noise.

After deliberation the commission voted to deny the appeal and affirm the director’s approval of the minor design review and tree removal permit for De Colores Park, leaving the eastern masonry wall to be constructed in Phase 2 per the approved phasing and funding plan. The commission record indicates conditions of approval and mitigation measures remain in force.

The commission’s decision can be appealed to the City Council.