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Solano EDC tells Vacaville council power, workforce and housing are county obstacles to job growth
Summary
Chris Rico, president of the Solano County Economic Development Corporation, updated the Vacaville City Council on county efforts to attract manufacturing and high-value jobs, highlighting power capacity shortfalls, a revolving small-business loan fund, ADU outreach and grants for industrial land readiness.
The Solano County Economic Development Corporation briefed the Vacaville City Council on April 8 about countywide steps to attract new jobs and prepare industrial land — and about obstacles that could limit success.
Chris Rico, president and CEO of the Solano EDC, told the council that the county’s top infrastructure constraint for higher-value manufacturing is electric power capacity. “Our biggest inhibitor to economic development in Solano County … is power,” Rico said. He told council members the EDC is working on “priority production areas” planning and infrastructure-readiness projects so jurisdictions are “shovel ready” if large federal or state infrastructure funds become available.
Key takeaways from the presentation
- Power and infrastructure: Rico said the EDC secured planning and grant funds to prepare industrial lands for advanced manufacturing; the lack of readily available power is a primary impediment to landing major projects.
- Workforce and housing link: Employers repeatedly told EDC staff they cannot attract and retain young talent without the right housing options near downtowns or transit. Rico said projects aimed at walkable workforce housing near transit stations are county priorities.
- Small-business revolving loan fund: The EDC described a $4 million revolving loan fund, capitalized with ARPA funds from the county. The program partners with multiple lenders to offer lower-cost credit to borrowers with lower credit scores (one negotiated product allowed a 630 FICO threshold and roughly 6% interest), plus technical assistance via SBDC to reduce default risk.
- ADU and housing tools: The EDC has developed adu.org (with grant support) and other programs to simplify accessory‑dwelling-unit construction as part of a broader housing‑and‑workforce strategy.
- Other initiatives: The EDC reported countywide speaker series on topics such as AI and battery storage, nonprofit capacity-building efforts, and a business-retention specialist to maintain continuity for companies seeking city and county services.
Why it matters: Vacaville officials said they are already working on many of these fronts but welcomed the county-level coordination. Council members raised power, traffic and workforce transitions — and asked how Vacaville can collaborate on workforce training and infrastructure investments to capture potential large projects.
Ending
Rico said the EDC’s work is intended to make the seven Solano cities competitive for a changing economy. The council asked staff to continue coordination with the EDC on power readiness, housing solutions and workforce pipelines.
