III.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

This chapter describes the proposed Fairfield Wal-Mart Supercenter Project (proposed project), that is
evaluated in this Environmental Impact Report (EIR). A description of the proposed project’s region-
al and planning context, objectives, and background is included, in addition to a discussion of
required project approvals and entitlements.

A. PROJECT SITE
The following section describes the project site’s location, surrounding land uses, and site character-
istics.

1. Location
The project site, comprising 18.22 acres, is located within the City of Fairfield in Solano County,
approximately 19 miles northeast of the City of Vallejo and 60 miles southwest of the City of
Sacramento (see Figure I-1). Interstate 80 (I-80) passes through the City and provides the major
regional access to Fairfield. The North Texas Street/I-80 interchange, approximately 1 mile to the
north, and the Air Base Parkway/I-80 interchange, approximately 1 mile to the southwest, provide
regional access to the project site. These I-80 exits are less than 1 mile from the project site.

The project site is located southeast of I-80, at the corner of North Texas Street and Atlantic Avenue
(see Figure III-1). The general boundaries of the project are North Texas Street to the east, Hawthorn
Drive to the north, Atlantic Avenue to the south, and single-family residences fronting on Orchid
Street to the west.

The project site is accessible by Fairfield-Suisun Transit System, which operates bus routes on North
Texas Street and Atlantic Avenue adjacent to the project site.

2. Surrounding Land Use

The surrounding area is composed of a mix of residential and commercial uses (see Figure III-2). To
the west are existing single-family residential homes, and to the north along Hawthorn Drive and to
the east along North Texas Street are multi-family apartments. South of these apartments along North
Texas Street, there are various commercial retail and office developments, including several auto
dealerships, a gas station, and other ancillary retail tenants. To the south, across Atlantic Avenue is
an existing Kmart shopping center. Southeast of the project site, Fairfield High School is located on
east Atlantic Avenue. West of the project site is Amy Blanc Elementary School located on Atlantic
Avenue west of Orchid Street. An existing church (the Liberty Christian Center) and existing retail
space is located on the southwestern portion the project site, on separate parcels, totaling
approximately 1.49 acres.

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LSA ASSOCIATES, INC. FAIRFIELD WAL-MART SUPERCENTER EIR
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3. Site Characteristics
The 18.22-acre project site slopes gently to the south/southeast with an elevation of 80 feet above
mean sea level. Based on an on-site geotechnical investigation conducted by Lowney Associates,
groundwater may be encountered at depths of approximately 6.5 to 14 feet. 1

Along its western portion, the site is developed with an existing, mostly vacant, strip-mall-type
shopping center, constructed in a faux “mission-style.” An additional multi-tenant commercial
building is located on the northeast portion of the site, and, as shown in Figure III-1, three stand-
alone, smaller retail buildings (once occupied by a bank and fast food stores) are located on the
eastern portion of the site adjacent to North Texas Street. An existing church (located in the southern
portion of the site near Atlantic Avenue) occupies what was a supermarket (34,617 square feet) in the
main shopping center structure. Existing commercial uses (approximately 8,000 square feet in size)
are located directly south of the church building. The church administration has indicated that in the
future they will expand into this space and use it for administrative and classroom uses.2

An asphalt-covered parking lot covers the central and eastern portion of the site. There are eight
access points to the project site: two on Hawthorn Drive, four on North Texas Street, and two on
Atlantic Avenue.

The parking lot is currently landscaped with a species of Melaleuca trees. The survival of these trees
in the parking medians has been spotty, as can be seen on the aerial of the site (Figure III-2).
Landscaped islands, approximately 20 feet in width, are located between the parking lot and the
sidewalks along North Texas Street, Hawthorn Drive and Atlantic Avenue (see Figure III-2). The
islands are planted with turf and a mixture of mature evergreen and deciduous trees.

B. PROJECT OBJECTIVES
The objectives of the proposed project are as follows:
• Design a project consistent with the requirements of the City of Fairfield Zoning Ordinance,
Urban Design Guidelines and North Texas Redevelopment Plan.
• Remove the vacant retail stores in the Mission Village Shopping Center, develop a state-of-the-art
retail project that will meet the retail demands of the Fairfield community, and help revitalize the
North Texas Street business corridor.
• Achieve an architectural design that softens the scale and mass of the proposed building with
features designed to be compatible with the surrounding area. Maintain existing landscaping
along the exterior of the site and provide new landscaping within the parking lot to soften the
design and create a pleasant, attractive appearance that complements the surrounding area.
• Minimize potential automobile and pedestrian conflicts through site planning that clearly
separates automobile and pedestrian access areas.

1
Lowney Associates, 2004. Geotechnical Investigation, Proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter No. 2048-05, Fairfield,
California. August 27.
2
West, Richard, Liberty Christian Church. Personal communication with LSA Associates, Inc. October 2005.

P:\COF432\Products\Public Review DEIR\3-ProjDesc.doc (3/8/2006) 28

 L
NA
CA
H
UT
SO
AH
P UT
80

SUNRISE
PARK

ERSION
DIV
K
EE
CR
UE
EN
AV
N
UNIO

HAWTHORN DRIVE

LARKSPUR LANE
ORCHID STREET

AD
RO
LL
HI
AMY BLANC T
EN
ELEMENTARY
CEM
SCHOOL

ATLANTIC AVENUE
EAST ATLANTIC AVENUE
NORTH TEXAS STREET

FAIRFIELD HIGH SCHOOL

AIR BASE PARKWAY

FIGURE III-1

project boundary
N
Fairfield Wal-Mart Supercenter EIR
Project Vicinity
0 300 600
feet

SOURCE: GLOBEXPLORER, 2004.

I:\COF432 mission village\figures\Fig_III1.ai (1/19/05)
 HAWTHORN DRIVE

NORTH TEXAS STREET

LARKSPUR LANE
ORCHID STREET

PRIMROSE
AVENUE

ATLANTIC AVENUE

FIGURE III-2
project boundary

N
Fairfield Wal-Mart Supercenter EIR
Existing Site and
0 100 200
Surrounding Uses
feet

SOURCE: CITY OF FAIRFIELD, 2004.

I:\COF432 mission village\figures\Fig_III2.ai (1/19/05)
LSA ASSOCIATES, INC. FAIRFIELD WAL-MART SUPERCENTER EIR
MARCH 2006 III. PROJECT DESCRIPTION

• Minimize overall access and circulation conflicts by facilitating the circulation between the Wal-
Mart store and the adjacent church.
• Minimize noise impacts to the surrounding neighborhoods by using structures such as sound
walls and/or by placing potentially noisy activities such as loading and unloading deliveries and
waste either within the main structure (i.e., at loading docks) or locating them as far as possible
from residential uses.
• Minimize traffic impacts to the surrounding residential neighborhood, and ensure that adequate
on-site parking is provided for store customers, employees, and the users of the church.
• Provide significant economic benefits to the City and community in terms of employment
opportunities and sales tax revenues.

C. PROPOSED PROJECT
This EIR considers the environmental effects of the commercial project being proposed by Wal-Mart
(the project applicant). This section provides a description of the proposed project based on informa-
tion submitted by the project applicant in October 2004, and describes the project’s technical,
environmental, and socio-economic characteristics. The proposed project is a commercial develop-
ment that comprises approximately 187,500 square feet of retail space and 1,103 parking spaces, as
described more fully below. The project site plan is illustrated in Figure III-3.

1. Demolition
With the exception of the church building and approximately 6,000 square feet of occupied com-
mercial uses directly south of the church, all other existing structures and the parking lot would be
demolished and removed as part of the project. Construction debris, such as old foundations,
pavements, utilities, and structures, would be collected and off-hauled to the Potrero Hills Landfill.
The approximately 140,000 square feet of building that would be demolished would yield approxi-
mately 23,000 cubic yards of solid waste. 3 The removal of the existing asphalt and aggregate base
would create an additional 19,500 cubic yards of solid waste, 75 percent of which would be crushed
(i.e., made into rubble) and used on-site as the base for the new parking lot. The remaining
approximately 4,875 cubic yards of waste would be disposed of in the landfill. 4

2. Anchor Retail Tenant Building Description

The proposed project includes the construction of a new Wal-Mart Supercenter store with a building
size of approximately 187,500 square feet and a garden center of approximately 15,130 square feet
(see Figure III-3). The Wal-Mart building would be located on the northern portion of the project
site, and the building entrance would face south. The architectural theme of the building is of a
contemporary style and uses construction materials widely found in the local area. Architectural
materials such as concrete masonry block, metal awnings, and exterior plaster finish would be utilized
on the building.

3
MacPherson, Shell, 2005. PACLAND. Personal communication with LSA Associates, Inc.
4
Ibid.

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LSA ASSOCIATES, INC. FAIRFIELD WAL-MART SUPERCENTER EIR
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Details of the building area are provided in Table III-1 Table III-1: Building Area Details
and are shown in Figure III-4. The grocery area is Building Area Square Feet
comprised of approximately 45,989 square feet; the Grocery Area 45,989
general merchandise area is 108,504 square feet; the General Merchandise Area 108,505
pharmacy would be 754 square feet; the stockroom and Stockroom/Receiving 23,822
Pharmacy 754
receiving area is 23,822 square feet, and the tenant,
Tenant/Restaurant/Miscellaneous 8,410
restaurant area, and miscellaneous back of store uses Building Gross Area 187,480
is 8,410 square feet. The seasonal garden center is a Canopy Garden Center 5,490
total of approximately 15,130 square feet. The Open Garden Center 9,627
seasonal canopy garden center, of approximately 5,490 Seasonal Garden Center 15,130
square feet, is a separately attached enclosure with a Source: Pacland, November 2005.
clear “lexan” canopy roof structure and temporary roll
up walls that is combined with an additional attached open seasonal garden center of approximately
9,627 square feet enclosed by ornamental iron fencing.

3. Store Operation
The proposed Wal-Mart store is proposed to operate seven days a week and up to 24 hours per day.
The proposed Wal-Mart store is projected to generate approximately 425 jobs, which would be a mix
of full-time and part-time jobs or the equivalent of approximately 297 full time jobs.5

4. Circulation and Parking

The site currently has eight access points which would be reduced to five, as shown in Figure III-3.
Only one existing access point on North Texas Street would be retained, and a new access point from
North Texas Street would be constructed. The main entrance to the project parking lot from North
Texas Street would be an existing curb cut and located closest to the proposed building. This access
would be restricted to right in, left out, right out turning movements. A private driveway north of the
project site is opposite the proposed main access. The other access point from North Texas Street is
closer to Atlantic Avenue and would be restricted to right in and right out turning movements. Both
of these access points would be 36 feet in width. The applicant proposes to retain the two existing
full-movement access points on Atlantic Avenue and one existing access point on Hawthorn Drive.
These access points would be stop sign-controlled, and would vary in width from 25 to 42 feet with
lanes for ingress and egress. Figure III-5 shows typical property line cross-sections.

The project proposes to construct a main parking lot area in front of the Wal-Mart and church build-
ings. A combined total of 1,103 parking spaces are proposed. A total of 1,247 parking spaces are
required, per City code. Pursuant to the requirements of the City’s Zoning Ordinance, Wal-Mart is
requesting a reduction in the required parking, which would allow the church and Wal-Mart to share
parking under a shared parking agreement. A parking demand study for the proposed project was
prepared by a qualified traffic consultant, and the recommendations from this study are evaluated in
Section IV.C, Transportation, Circulation and Parking, in this EIR.

5
Fleishacker, William, Steefel, Levitt & Weiss, 2005. Personal communication with LSA Associates, Inc. March.

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 F I G UR E I I I -3
legend for proposed improvements
proposed building cart corral heavy duty asphaltic
concrete pavement Fairfield Wal-Mart Supercenter EIR
proposed 18" curb and gutter traffic signal
0 60 120 heavy duty asphaltic Site Plan
proposed parking spaces pavement/concrete concrete pavement
feet per architectural plans
stamped concrete
SOURCE: PACLAND, 2005
I:\COF432 mission village\figures\FigIII3.AI (06/23/05)
 FIGU RE III- 4

Fairfield Wal-Mart Supercenter EIR

Building Area Plan

SOURCE: WILLIAM PARRISH DESIGN DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANTS, INC., 2004

I:\COF432 mission village\figures\FigIII4.AI (1/20/06)
 FIGURE III-5

Fairfield Wal-Mart Supercenter EIR

see figure iii-6 for cross-section locations Typical Property Line
Cross-sections
SOURCE: PACLAND, 2005.
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LSA ASSOCIATES, INC. FAIRFIELD WAL-MART SUPERCENTER EIR
MARCH 2006 III. PROJECT DESCRIPTION

5. Deliveries
To serve the proposed Wal-Mart, delivery trucks would approach the store from North Texas Street in
the southbound direction, then turn westbound on Hawthorn Drive to the truck maneuvering area
behind the store (as shown in Figure III-3). Delivery trucks would then back into one of the two
below-grade, three-bay, loading docks. Truck egress would follow the reverse route.

Following procedures standardized by Wal-Mart, truck deliveries would take place in the following
manner:
• Three to four 18-wheeler truck deliveries would be made each day for general merchandise; truck
delivery times would be at 3:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.
• Two to three 18-wheeler truck deliveries would be made each day for food items. Food truck
deliveries usually occur before midnight and after 5:00 a.m. Produce and frozen goods would be
delivered in three trucks during four days of the week and two trucks during the remaining three
days.
• Six to eight smaller vendor trucks would make deliveries five days a week (they would not
deliver on Wednesday and Sunday). Vendor truck deliveries would occur between the hours of
5:00 a.m. and noon.

Based on the schedule identified above, a maximum of seven 18-wheeler truck deliveries would be
made each day, and eight smaller vendor trucks would deliver goods every day but Wednesday and
Sunday.

Two truck loading docks would be located below grade, and each would have three individual side-
by-side loading bays. The loading bay doors would be equipped with sealed gaskets to mitigate the
impact of noise from off-loading trailers since all loading/unloading activities occur within the
enclosed building area. Wal-Mart delivery trucks, utilizing the below grade docks, would drop off
loaded trailers and immediately depart with an empty trailer to minimize truck idling time. A 10-foot
high sound and visual screening wall would be constructed along the edge of the dock to further
mitigate noise and visual impacts.

6. Landscaping and Signage

The project proposes to provide approximately 80,000 square feet of site landscaping, representing
approximately 11 percent of the 750,100 square-foot gross site area. Larger shade trees would be
provided every ten spaces within the parking lot interior, and one smaller tree is proposed for every
eight spaces within the parking lot interior (see Figure III-6) in accordance with the City’s Zoning Or-
dinance. The majority of the existing mature trees in the planting strips around the perimeter of the
site would be maintained as part of the project. The construction of the new access point on North
Texas Street would require the removal of one mature tree, but new deciduous trees6 would be
planted at the three locations along North Texas Street where access points would be removed.
There is a double row of redwood trees planted along Hawthorn Drive. Four of the redwood trees
that are closest to the existing commercial buildings would need to be removed to provide space for

6
The preliminary plant schedule identifies these trees as Nuttall oaks of a minimum 10 feet in height and planted
from 24 inch boxes.

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LSA ASSOCIATES, INC. FAIRFIELD WAL-MART SUPERCENTER EIR
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the truck turnaround area. The redwood trees closest to Hawthorn Drive would be preserved as
shown on the landscape plan.

The approval of project signage is not a part of the proposed project and would be subject to City of
Fairfield codes and requirements to ensure they complement the building architecture and
landscaping of the building. Signage applications and approvals would be done separately, should the
project be approved.

7. Grading
Site topography is comprised of gentle slopes of 3 percent or less. Site driveways would be some-
what steeper, with maximum grades of 6 percent. Site grading includes the use of approximately
14,000 cubic yards of material (‘fill”), consisting of crushed asphalt and aggregate base generated
during the demolition phase, to build up the building pad. On-site use of crushed asphalt is a standard
construction practice to reduce the amount of demolition material that would otherwise be sent to a
landfill. Approximately 55,000 cubic yards of material currently on the site would also be cut from
some areas to fill others to support the development.

8. Utilities
Because the site was once an operating retail center of roughly similar size, public utilities are
available to serve the proposed project, including water, sanitary sewer, storm water drainage, power
and communications as described below and shown on Figure III-7.

a. Water Service. The project proposes to install a new 8-inch water service line on the site with
connections to the public water mains in North Texas Street and Hawthorn Drive to provide adequate
fire protection water flow for the proposed development.

b. Sanitary Sewer. Sanitary sewer service is available at the eastern property line, before dis-
charging into Atlantic Avenue.

c. Storm Water. A storm water drainage line is located in the southeastern corner of the site near
the intersection of North Texas Street and Atlantic Avenue. The project proposes to use a network of
underground pipes, catch basins, curbs and gutters to collect surface water runoff throughout the site.
To meet City of Fairfield requirements, the on-site storm system is designed to detain 10 percent of a
24-hour, 100-year storm event that could generate 58 cubic feet per second of flow.7 Therefore, 10
percent of this amount of runoff would require approximately 17,000 cubic feet of storage. The storm
drainage storage would be accomplished in underground pipes and catch basins. The applicant
proposes to filter storm water runoff prior to its discharge to the public storm system on North Texas
Street.

The project’s storm water infrastructure is more fully described in Section IV.J, Utilities and
Infrastructure of this EIR. Storm water management to meet water quality regulations is more fully
described and evaluated in Section IV.G, Hydrology and Water Quality of this EIR. The project has
been designed in accordance with regulatory criteria of the Regional Water Quality Control Board
(RWQCB) and is consistent with sound engineering practice by incorporating storm water detention
and water quality Best Management Practices (BMPs).

7
MacPherson, Shell, 2005. PACLAND. Personal communication with LSA Associates, Inc.

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 24"

24" EXISTING CONIFERS

TO BE REMOVED
30"

24"

F I G UR E I I I -6

Fairfield Wal-Mart Supercenter EIR

0 50 100 Landscape Plan
feet
SOURCE: PACLAND, 2005
I:\COF432 mission village\figures\FigIII6.ai (1/20/06)
 FIGU RE III- 7

Fairfield Wal-Mart Supercenter EIR

0 100 200
Utility Plan
feet

SOURCE: PACLAND, 2004

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LSA ASSOCIATES, INC. FAIRFIELD WAL-MART SUPERCENTER EIR
MARCH 2006 III. PROJECT DESCRIPTION

d. Power and Communications. Pacific, Gas and Electric (PG&E) would supply electrical
power and gas to the site, and SBC currently supplies telephone service. These services are currently
available at the project site.

9. Project Construction
The building, as submitted, is proposed to be constructed in one phase. On-site improvements
include the building, parking, landscaping and driveways designed to support the retail project. The
parking lot would require phased construction to accommodate the existing church use. In addition,
the north façade of the existing church would be rebuilt (it is now an interior wall) to match the rest of
the church building. The project applicant has estimated that installation of the infrastructure (e.g.,
water and sewer lines) is expected to take approximately two months. Construction of the parking
area and building would begin shortly thereafter, and would require approximately seven to ten
months to complete. Demolition of the existing structures and parking lot would require
approximately one month. Off-site improvements include adding new sidewalk along North Texas
Street and Atlantic Avenue where site access points would be removed.

D. DISCRETIONARY ACTIONS
The proposed project includes and would require a series of discretionary actions as discussed below.

1. General Plan Amendment

Currently the City of Fairfield General Plan designates the project site as Mixed Use. The proposed
project includes a General Plan Amendment that would change the Mixed Use land use designation to
Community Commercial to allow for a development that is 100 percent commercial. As the site is
currently zoned Community Commercial, no zoning amendment would be needed.

2. Development Review
The proposed project includes an application for Development Review by the City of Fairfield, which
includes review of the site plan, landscaping and architectural designs.

3. Environmental Review
The proposed project is subject to CEQA review, which is the purpose of this document.

E. USE OF THIS EIR

A number of permits and approvals, including the discretionary actions listed above, would be
required before the development of this project can proceed. As lead agency for the proposed project,
the City of Fairfield would be responsible for the majority of approvals required for development.
Other agencies also may have some authority related to the project and its approvals. A list of the
required permits and approvals that may be required by the City and other agencies is provided in
Table III-2. Many of these agencies would use this EIR when deliberating over required permits and
approvals.

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LSA ASSOCIATES, INC. FAIRFIELD WAL-MART SUPERCENTER EIR
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Table III-2: Required Permits and Approvals

Lead Agency Permit/Approval
City of Fairfield • Environmental Review
• Development Review
• General Plan Amendment
• Sign Permit Approvals
Responsible Agencies
Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District • Approval for sewer treatment capacity
• Approval of storm drain system
California Regional Water Quality • National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
Control Board (RWQCB) (NPDES) permit for stormwater discharge
• Section 401 water quality certification
Solano County Department of • Site contamination and hazardous materials clean up
Environmental Management oversight
Solano County Airport Land Use • Review of General Plan Amendment
Commission
Trustee Agencies
State Department of Toxic Substances • Consultation regarding hazardous materials cleanup
Control
Source: LSA Associates, Inc., 2004.

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