Vacaville planning commission opens public review of McMurtry Creek Estates draft EIR

The Vacaville Planning Commission on March 18 received a staff presentation and opened a 45-day public review period for the McMurtry Creek Estates Draft Environmental Impact Report, a CEQA review covering a proposed subdivision on a 34.33-acre site north of Preserve Lane in unincorporated Solano County.

Eileen Lee, assistant planner in the Community Development Department, said the project proposes subdividing the site into two parcelsParcel A (15.73 acres) to be annexed and developed as a 20-lot custom-home residential subdivision with designated open space, and Parcel B (18.6 acres) that would remain in Solano County. The draft EIR was published March 6, 2025, the city issued a notice of preparation on May 24, 2024, and the scoping meeting was held June 13, 2024.

The nut of the report is that most environmental topics, including biological and cultural resources, noise, and land use, were identified as having less-than-significant impacts in the draft EIR, while transportation and traffic impacts measured by vehicle miles traveled (VMT) were identified as significant and unavoidable, the staff presentation said. The public comment period runs through April 21, 2025; staff said comments and questions will be incorporated into responses in a final EIR.

Staff and the presentation Eileen Lee identified LSA Associates as the consultant retained under a city contract executed Aug. 1, 2023, to prepare the draft environmental documents. Lee said the draft EIR discloses potential impacts, identifies alternatives and mitigation, and analyzes an evacuation component as part of the transportation/VMT analysis.

Project history and approvals Lee summarized the project record: the City Council initiated a general plan amendment for McMurtry Creek on May 28, 2019; the city issued preliminary comment on Dec. 19, 2019; a formal planning application was submitted Aug. 7, 2021; and the DEIR was prepared under the city's contract with LSA Associates. Lee told commissioners the applicant was not present to answer questions at the March 18 meeting.

Design features and wildfire/evacuation concerns Commissioner Wilkerson asked whether the project area had been affected by recent LNU-complex fires and raised questions about access and evacuation. Lee said the draft EIR includes an evacuation analysis and that future construction would have to comply with the California Fire Code and additional wildfire-area standards. She described a perimeter emergency access route (a fire road) circling the project, and a left-side drive aisle intended to provide a secondary emergency-relief route toward McMurtry Lane and Whitestone Court. Lee said the project's primary public access would be an extension of Preserve Lane and that full vehicular access through Whitestone Court was not proposed because of public concerns about creating another driveway off the short cul-de-sac and because of topography and hillside preservation.

Public comment and commission reaction No members of the public offered verbal comments at the March 18 meeting; Lee reminded the public that written comments are accepted through April 21 and provided staff contact information for submissions. Commissioner Rudine (chair) and Commissioner Wilkerson both spoke during deliberation; Rudine noted the administrative nature of the hearing (to circulate the document for comment), and Wilkerson said she had reviewed much of the EIR and expressed support for the project, noting the VMT finding but describing other public-safety and design features as reassuring.

Next steps Lee said staff will collect written comments through April 21, prepare responses and a final EIR, and then schedule three additional public hearings as part of the project approval sequence: (1) an Airport Land Use Commission (ALUC) advisory hearing, (2) a Planning Commission public hearing for a recommendation, and (3) a City Council public hearing for the final decision.

Procedural notes At the start of the meeting the commission approved the evening's agenda (motion by Commissioner Wilkerson, second by Commissioner Vargas) and approved the consent calendar (minutes from the Feb. 18, 2025 meeting; motion by Commissioner Solverson, second by Commissioner Vargas). Both motions were carried by roll call.