Suisun City to Sell Downtown Land to Developer

Suisun City to Sell Downtown Land to Developer
By Ian Thompson

SUISUN CITY - The Suisun City Council is expected to put its seal of approval to a land deal City Hall hopes will bring more stores and businesses to downtown Suisun City.

Main Street West, which local developer Mike Rice is a part of, will pay the Redevelopment Agency $3.7 million for 13 agency-owned sites scattered around Old Town, covering 8.4 acres.

The sale is not a money-maker for the Redevelopment Agency, which spent $14.2 million during the last decade to buy, clean up and improve the land it is selling to Main Street West.

Suisun City leaders started talking exclusively to Main Street West Partners almost a year ago after picking them from more than a dozen developers to develop the downtown.

The city is depending on Main Street West to bring in commercial and retail businesses to the vacant lots and buildings along Main Street owned by the Redevelopment Agency.

Main Street West initially promised to bring in a major anchor tenant - likely a movie theater - but then asked to be released from that requirement when the first deadline for handing a proposed agreement passed last fall.

The developer now wants to put up a two-story, mixed-use anchor project with stores on the first floor and residences on the second floor on the vacant lots at Main and Solano streets.

A similar use is also proposed for the empty Margarita Village building and the vacant parcel next to the La Cabana Restaurant. Main Street West wants to put homes on the large vacant lots on Civic Center Boulevard's west side and on the north side of Lotz Way.

The vacant old Crystal school site is not part of the agreement, but is expected to also be handed over to Main Street West for residential development.

Main Street West has promised downtown business owners they will see work starting by mid-summer.

In other business, the council is voting to put out a request for proposals to find the right developers for two vacant sites next to the Albertson's Shopping Center and at the south end of Civic Center Boulevard.

Several developers recently expressed interest in both sites.

The 3.4-acre site at the end of Civic Center Boulevard is zoned for homes. Silverwing Development wants to put a high-density residential project there while Rossi Development wants to put in a low-density one.

Three developers expressed interest in the 8.2-acre site next to the shopping center.

Rossi wants to build a hotel with some office and light industrial buildings there. Monte Vista Equities wants to put in a mixed-use development. Park Avenue Hotel Group expressed interest but didn't state what it wants to do.

The Suisun City Council meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Suisun City Council chamber at 701 Civic Center Blvd.

Reach Ian Thompson at 427-6976 or at ithompson@dailyrepublic.net.

Who: Suisun City Council
What: Approving selling 8.4 acres of city-owned land in downtown Suisun City to a local developer for $3.7 million
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Suisun City Council chamber, 701 Civic Center Blvd.
Info: 421-7300.