Media: Suisun to decide on Wal-Mart bid

By Danny Bernardini/Vacaville Reporter Staff Writer

The fate of a proposal for a Wal-Mart Supercenter in Suisun City likely will be decided Tuesday night by the city council.

If the Planning Commission meeting on Jan. 29 was any indication of what Tuesday's attendance will be, there likely will be standing room only and hours of public comment for and against.

The proposed project earned advisory approval from the planning commission at the January meeting, and now the city council must decide three things:

• whether or not the environmental documents address and mitigate any problems;
• whether the project fits into the city's general plan, and;
• whether to override the November decision by the Solano County Airport Land Use Commission against the project.

The proposal for the Wal-Mart on a 20.8-acre site near Highway 12 and Walters Road includes 230,000 square feet of commercial space including a 215,000-square-foot Wal-Mart Supercenter building, plus a fuel station with mini-mart, an 8,000-square-foot sit-down restaurant or commercial-use site and parking.

One of the biggest issues facing the council is overriding the ALUC's vote against the project. The commission felt it violated the Travis Air Force Base Land Use Compatibility Plan. For an override, there would have to be a 'super-majority' vote by four of five council members.

Suisun City staff reports claim the Wal-Mart Supercenter would bring in nearly $1 million annually in sales tax revenue and could act as an anchor to other businesses wanting to come to the area.

Opponents say the Walters Road location is not the right place for the store and would create safety issues in intersections along Highway 12. Opponents also have stressed their fear of falling parts or a plane crashing while taking off from nearby Travis.

The city of Suisun City Council meets in the Suisun City Government Center at 5 p.m.

Danny Bernardini can be reached at county@thereporter.com.