(VACAVILLE, CA) - Multiple people left visibly upset from this week’s City Council meeting.
Main Grape owner Blake Borchers and Downtown Vacaville Business Improvement District Executive Director LeAnne White spoke to the council regarding a new Entertainment Zone ordinance.
As a pilot program, this Entertainment Zone is available for the 2026 CreekWalk concert series.
“I think that would be a huge mistake, if that’s what we’re gonna do for our pilot program,” Said Borchers.
An Entertainment Zone allows the drinking of alcohol on public sidewalks, streets, and walkways. This Zone covers Merchant Street until Mason Street, and Main Street from Parker Street to Davis Street. A section of Andrews Park is included in the Zone. Special event organizers can apply for any portion of the Zone; they do not need to activate all of it.
Photo Credit: City Council Livestream
Borchers and Director White expressed a desire to see the pilot run for the Town Square Downtown Thursday concert series. They believed this event to affect more businesses and be easier to manage.
Concerns for crowd management sparked questions from multiple city council members and Director White. Their main worry was the lack of regulations for what types of alcohol are to be allowed.
Staff assured the program can be changed as needed, if problems arise. The Entertainment Zone passed as proposed, with the CreekWalk concert series as the pilot.
Another hot topic at the June 23 City Council meeting was passionate public comment from citizens who live in the Lagoon Valley area. They stood against the proposed development of a Pilot Travel Center on Cherry Glen Road.
The project, which has yet to be approved, would include a convenience store, food service, amenities for professional drivers, a five-bay truck maintenance facility, 16 automobile fuel pumps, and eight truck fuel lanes. It would operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Of the approximately seven residents who attended the meeting in opposition of the truck stop, only three spoke at the microphone. Three others sent their comments in written form. Additionally, a petition was started, which currently has almost 900 signatures.
Photo Credit: Pilot Travel Center Application
Residents Amber Mineni and Chris Whitaker both told opgov.news they found the response from Mayor Carli and Community Development Director Erin Morris to be contradictory and dismissive.
Director Morris described community feedback on the proposed development as being early.
“Residents are responding to an actual development application, not a rumor.” Wrote Mineni.
One of the concerns the residents of Lagoon Valley expressed was a lack of transparency and communication. They claimed that many residents who live closest to the proposed truck stop didn’t receive notice of the application. Director Morris asserted that the notices should have been received by everyone within a 600-foot radius of the property.
“The development growth mindset of city staff and most members of the council in Vacaville is like an addiction,” Shared Whitaker.
Unrelated, resident Brandon Cherry suggested to the council that Vacaville allow cannabis dispensaries to operate within city limits.
Photo Credit: YSAQMD.org
During council reports, at the start of the meeting, councilmember Jannette Wylie announced that the Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District has a new Pedal Forward: E-Bike Incentive Program. Eligible candidates can receive vouchers up to $1,500. Applications are open until July 27 and are available in English, Spanish, and Russian.
As always, if you have information to add or correct, please reach out at sarahlouise.s@lead4earth.org, or leave a comment below.
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