The Vacaville City Council held a study session regarding the Celebrate Housing Report at Tuesday’s City Council meeting to review the city’s pace of development over recent years.
Damiere Powell, an Associate Planner for the city, presented the Celebrate Housing Report. Powell said the city adopted its housing element in June of 2023, and it will be valid through Dec. 31, 2031. He said the Celebrate Housing Report monitors the housing production and residential development trends through the housing element cycle and contains information to help the city make informed decisions.
Since 2023, Powell said, the city has permitted 919 single-family units, four multifamily units, 153 Accessory Dwelling Units, and 242 single-family homes with ADUs for a total of 1,318 permitted units in three years. Current trends reflect the city’s averages since 2015, with the exception of a spike in ADU construction over the last few years.
Almost half of all of these units went into Council District 6, represented by Councilmember Jeanette Wylie. Major development projects in this time frame included Roberts’ Ranch, Lower Lagoon Valley, Montessa, Southtown Phase 3, Foxboro Knolls, and Villages at Vanden Meadows.
Vice Mayor Michael Silva said residents reached out to him to attempt to expedite ADU permitting. Powell said the city has a pre-approved ADU program with one plan set, but could continue to proactively open that door to the community.
“It has several options, but it wouldn’t allow someone to get like a private vendor from another contract or company,” he said.
Community and Economic Development Director Erin Morris said the city has developed at a rate of about 400 units per year for the past ten years. The 1990s saw a few years of 1000+ unit development, she said, but the city has not seen spikes like that since then.
