Robak cited other reasons for his department being in the red last year, including more overtime expenses and medical, food and household expenses. And one way to encourage that would be telling developers that they could not build new supermarkets in the commercial areas along the freeway. This concept will be presented to the Vacaville City Council this week for discussion. City officials are occasionally contacted by people interested in bringing new supermarkets to Vacaville, City Manager John Thompson said. Because the council has made clear its desire to bolster neighborhood shopping centers, that is the first place officials point to, he said.
Most companies reject that idea.
New supermarkets can currently be built in the general commercial zoning districts and in most of the areas near Interstate 80, which would likely be the most desirable location for a developer, Thompson said. Though there is not enough data to conclude that a new supermarket would significantly hurt business at existing grocery stores, it is logical to assume that there would be some impact, he said. A more detailed study would probably have to be launched on the economic factors that would be involved, Thompson said. If the council endorses the idea, it would take months to create a general plan amendment that would make supermarkets a conditional rather than a permitted use. Conditional uses are reviewed individually by the Planning Commission and sometimes the City Council.