Vacaville council approves exclusive negotiating rights for proposed Nut Tree sports complex despite airport safety concerns

Vacaville’s City Council voted Jan. 27 to authorize an exclusive negotiating rights agreement that allows a private development team to conduct feasibility work on a proposed sports complex on city‑owned parcels.

The agreement, known as an INRA, reserves the city parcel for negotiations while the developer performs due diligence; it is not a sale or final approval of a project. Mayor John Carley read the motion to the public and staff explained that if parties reach agreement, any sale or entitlements would return to the council for separate action.

The item drew multiple public comments focused on aviation safety. A Solano County airport representative told the council the parcel sits near Nut Tree Airport’s approach for Runway 2 and described the site as a critical emergency‑landing area. He said the county had not been fully engaged and asked the council to consider a conservation easement and additional coordination with the airport land‑use commission.

Hal Padgett, a nearby resident, said he worried about traffic, local use of fields and neighborhood disruption if the complex were built.

Keith Thompson, identified as a principal with Solano Youth Sports Development Group, said the team has already met with airport land‑use commissioners, retained Johnson Aviation Consulting for a formal safety study, and built buffers and open‑space areas into plans. "It meets all of FAR 77 and all of the FAA regulations," Thompson said, adding that the plan includes over 30 acres of open space and safety buffers intended to preserve emergency aircraft landing areas.

City staff and the city attorney explained that the INRA would include a public‑outreach requirement and would not bypass the statutory entitlement process: subsequent actions would include a general plan amendment, rezoning and design review as applicable. Staff noted the Solano County Airport Land Use Commission had already requested a minor addition related to density bonuses and compatibility with airport plans; that condition was included in the staff recommendation.

Council members asked staff to confirm the INRA covers only city parcels and that any county‑owned parcels would require separate negotiations with Solano County. After public comment and questions, the council voted to approve the INRA; the record shows the motion passed with one abstention (the transcript records an abstention but does not name the voting member). The motion does not authorize project entitlements, only the exclusive negotiating period and related public outreach and studies.

Next steps: the developer is authorized to complete feasibility work and required outreach; staff will return to the council with any proposed development agreement or sale and with the results of the safety studies and public engagement.