Workshop to focus on Suisun Valley tourism

Workshop to focus on Suisun Valley tourism
By Barry Eberling | DAILY REPUBLIC | June 22, 2009

FAIRFIELD - It's time to get down to the details on Suisun Valley's future.

The broad proposal to bolster the valley's status as an agritourism draw has been in place for months. The idea is to have more wineries and produce stands and several new tourism centers with such attractions as restaurants and bed-and-breakfasts in the rural valley.

A June 29 Solano County community workshop will focus on such issues as how big tourism centers should be, what road improvements are needed, how to provide water and how to handle wastewater. The meeting is at 6:30 p.m. at the county Government Center multi-purpose room, 675 Texas St.

County officials and Suisun Valley farmers have held several so-called 'stakeholders' meetings to tackle these topics. Though those meetings were open to the public, the workshop will present the results of the give-and-take to the wider community.

Ron Lanza of Wooden Valley Winery said things have gone well so far.

'Everybody has their own agenda in a way, but they've all been really good and sensible. It seems like everyone wants what's best for the valley,' Lanza said.Everything Solano... Find It Here.

Looking for a restaurant? Try the new Solano Marketplace and find local businesses.

In his opinion, that's to keep the valley in agriculture, but give farmers more flexibility so they can do things that attract tourists and make Suisun Valley more popular.

The county's recently revised General Plan allows for a total of 75 acres in the 10,000-acre valley to become tourists centers. Developable land could be added to the existing Rockville Corner and Mankas Corner centers, with new centers near the century-old Gomer school house, Rockville Road near Abernathy Road, Morrison Lane, the historic Iwama building, Abernathy Road near Interstate 80 and perhaps along Cordelia Road.

But how to divvy up that 75 acres total among eight possible sites is a question. A proposal will be available from the county perhaps by week's end and will be presented at the workshop.

Lanza said as many as 25 acres of the 75 acres should be held in reserve, to be granted to the tourism sites at a later time, as circumstances dictate. Otherwise, a need for more acreage at a site could arise and couldn't be met.

See the complete story at the Daily Republic online.