East Bay Business Times
June 27, 2008
Michael C. Smith was elected to the Dixon City Council in 2004. He is a journeyman electrician and is an instructor for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union Local 180 teaching future electrical contractors. He is also an active Boys & Girls Club director.
Michael C. Smith:
What excites you the most about Dixon's future? It's our proximity to UC-Davis. We have 1,000 acres ready to be developed and a pending rail stop. In our General Plan, we have 640 acres in the northeast quadrant zoned commercial/light industrial and 477 acres in the southwest quadrant zoned commercial/industrial and we have infill property.
What troubles you the most about Dixon's future? The flip side is that the citizens stated in the General Plan that development must pay its own way. The city can't stimulate development in any way. It's a catch-22. We have 1,000 acres, but it will take a developer with deep pockets. ... We have plenty of ground water, but a developer must pay for the well.
What is the biggest opportunity in Dixon? Interstate 80 frontage is $1 a square foot and there are buildings ready to occupy. There is a lot of potential here. ... There are 60 acres of the former Milk Farm site to be developed. ... We are eight miles from UC-Davis and its wealth of intellectual knowledge.
What is Dixon's biggest asset? Its small-town charm.
What is its biggest liability? Growth. Growth generated by being on highway frontage. The county is competing with us. We have green belts to preserve open space, but the county is coming in with an overlay to change 600 acres of county land to industry and agriculture from agriculture.
What is the most important development project to come soon? The Home Depot across from Wal-Mart.
What is something people don't know about Dixon? We sell tractors on Main Street. We have an old downtown that's two blocks long that looks like the '50s and '60s. It's laid back. There's no rush. People slow down. People hold the door for you.
History: The Dixon area was first settled in 1852 by Elijah S. Silvey, who operated a roadhouse in a farming community known as Silveyville about two miles northwest of where Dixon now stands. The community changed overnight when rancher Thomas Dickson donated 10 acres near the California Pacific Railroad line for a town site and depot. Silveyville buildings were placed on logs and rolled to the new site. One of them, the United Methodist Church, still stands. The new town was to be renamed after its benefactor, but the name was misspelled by a shipping clerk, and the name stuck. Dixon was incorporated in 1878. In its early years, the area was known for grain, alfalfa and dairy farming. Today it enjoys a national reputation in the sheep and lamb industry. The city is home to the Dixon Lambtown USA festival and the May Fair, the oldest state-affiliated fair in California. Dixon Public Library, www.dixonlibrary.com. Image: Downtown Dixon recalls a quieter time.
Population: 17,644
Biggest private employer: CSK Auto Inc. (Kragen)
No. of CSK employees: 400
No. 2 private employer: First Northern Bank
No. of First Northern employees: 263
No. of business licenses: 800
No. of jobs in Dixon: 7,310
Median household income: $72,000
Median home price, May '08: $350,500
On the Web: www.ci.dixon.ca.us
