Update on Waterfront Project Given to Vallejo City Council

Despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the city continues to function as city staff gave an informational update on the Waterfront Project to the City Council during their online meeting on 14 April 2020.

Staff first gave a brief history on the project. The project is governed by a Disposition and Development Agreement (DDA), which was updated as recently as 2016 with the Fifth Restatement. The Fifth Restatement set a timeline for the Waterfront Project, setting a deadline of 31 December 2020 for the developer, Callahan Property Company, to purchase or lease the properties outlined in the Master Plan. However, the developer does have the right to obtain two 2-year extensions for the cost of $100,000 per zone.

Regarding the Northern Waterfront portion of the proposed redevelopment, which is also called Mariner’s Cove, staff outlined future steps that need to be taken. Two community meetings were held in late 2018 and early 2019 to gather community feedback. Since then, the developer has submitted multiple applications to the City, although they have been deemed incomplete. Staff believe that there are only a few more issues that need to be worked out; however, last week, the developer turned in a more revised application. Staff now have 30 days to go over the application to ensure its completeness. Once a complete application is received, the project can then go to the Design Review Board and the Planning Commission. The project must also go to other regulatory agencies, such as the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC), the State Lands Commission, and the Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) to obtain full entitlements. During the meeting, staff revealed that they have worked with the applicant on an application to BCDC, and a tentative date for a hearing should be coming soon. Per the staff report, it is anticipated that entitlements be finalized by mid-year.

The other half of the Waterfront Project consists of the Central Waterfront section. The developer has yet to submit a formal application to the City regarding development on the Central Waterfront. So far, the only work that has been completed is the construction of the Vallejo Station Phase A parking garage. The City, Solano Transportation Authority, and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission have been working to get funds for Phase B of the parking garage from Regional Measure 3, a toll increase passed by Bay Area voters in 2018; however, the funds have not yet been made available. In 2019, Callahan Property Company terminated their right to develop the areas adjacent to the Phase B parking garage, which would have been built at the site of the former post office.