Dixon council certifies EIR and approves entitlements for 260‑acre ‘Campus’ mixed‑use project

The Dixon City Council on March 18 certified the final environmental impact report (EIR) for the Campus Mixed‑Use/Dixon 257 project and approved a package of entitlements that staff said are needed to extend infrastructure to the city’s Northeast Quadrant.

Community Development Director Raffy Beloyan summarized staff’s recommendation to certify the EIR and adopt a statement of overriding considerations after consultant Christina Erwin (Denovo Planning Group) testified that some impacts — including conversion of agricultural land, air emissions and vehicle miles traveled — would remain significant and unavoidable even with mitigation. “In order for the city to certify the EIR,” Beloyan said, “you will need to adopt a statement of overriding considerations,” and staff concluded the project’s housing and economic benefits outweigh the identified impacts.

Applicant representatives and their consultants described a phased plan for roughly 260 acres that includes a 48‑acre “Dixon Opportunity Center” with up to about 660,000 square feet of light industrial and office space, about 1,041 residential units across several villages, parks and a 23‑acre retention basin. The applicant’s land‑use and fiscal analyses showed backbone infrastructure costs between roughly $47 million and nearly $100 million; the development agreement includes a public‑benefit payment of just over $2,000,000 that the applicant said will be collected early in the residential build‑out to support public safety and other needs.

Opponents raised labor and environmental concerns at the public hearing. Kevin Carmichael of Napa Solano Residents for Responsible Development argued the city had not fully disclosed or mitigated biological impacts, and union representatives urged labor standards and local‑hire provisions. Campbell Soup representatives urged durable buffers between the plant and housing. The applicant said it moved residential components and added disclosure language in response and that the retention basin will be dedicated to the city as public property.

After deliberations the council approved, on roll call, the resolution certifying the EIR and mitigation program; adopted the statement of overriding considerations; approved specific‑plan amendments; introduced and waived first reading on ordinances approving a development agreement and planned‑development rezoning; and adopted resolutions approving the vesting tentative map, small‑lot map and design review. The council also amended a condition to require a 4‑foot tubular‑steel fence at specified buffer locations. All six actions passed by unanimous vote.