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Greenbelt Alliance In the News

October 4, 2002

Vacaville to clarify development ideas for Lower Lagoon Valley

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By Kevin Clerici/Reporter Staff

On Saturday, Community Development Director Ron Rowland and City Planner Larry Emerson will present the city's development plan and answer questions at 1 p.m. at the Rotary Grove picnic area at Lagoon Valley park, south of Interstate 80.

There is no charge, but parking at the park costs $3. The public is encouraged to attend.

"There is a lack of awareness on what is going to happen to this beautiful valley," said Natalie DuMont, a Solano County field representative for Greenbelt Alliance, an open-space advocacy group. "It's confusing to the public. There's a misunderstanding among people who think that just because there isn't any development there now, there won't ever be."

At issue is 656 privately owned acres of natural habitat bordering the 105-acre Lagoon Valley Regional Park, southeast of Interstate 80, that has been zoned since the early 1990s to allow an upscale community to move in.

The area contains a lake and is bordered on the northeast by about 1,000 acres environmentally protected by the state.

Early this year, Seattle-based Triad Developments initiated talks with city staff about building on the privately owned property. No official plans have been submitted, Rowland said.

"Some people think a lot of this land is part of Lagoon Park," Rowland said. "It's really up to the land owners as to what is or isn't built there."

In addition to the city's presentation, a walk around the lake is planned as well as a hike through the surrounding hills, DuMont said.

Vacaville resident Ted Swiecki will lead the hike along with Patricia and James Rathke, also from Vacaville.

"The hikes offer a chance to think and reflect on what the city brings to the table," DuMont said. "It's a chance to see the way of the land."

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