Plans for a massive 24-hour truck stop proposed for ranchland just outside Vacaville have been withdrawn, city planners said Monday.
The proposal, submitted by Pilot Travel Centers to the Vacaville Planning and Development Department in May, was set for 5666 Cherry Glen Road, a plot of unincorporated agricultural land nestled among grassy hills alongside Interstate Highway 80 in Solano County.
The land is currently a cattle ranch owned by John and Susan Pierson, and is steps away from Lagoon Valley Park, a 306-acre park popular with hikers that serves as a refuge for plants and animals. Plans for the truck stop included 16 gas pumps for cars, eight pumps for trucks, showers, a truck maintenance bay, a convenience store, a dog park and electric vehicle charging.
Albert Enault, a senior planner for Vacaville, confirmed Monday that Pilot Travel Centers formally withdrew the plans Friday, but did not say why plans were withdrawn.
A petition against the project set up by Vacaville residents in May drew thousands of signatures, with many expressing dismay over the possibility of environmental issues, noise pollution and additional traffic.
Doug Beaumont, who sits on the Vacaville Planning Commission, said he was relieved that the plans were withdrawn.
“I didn’t want to go through that on the Planning Commission,” said Beaumont in a phone call Monday. Beaumont added that there were a number of vacant parcels along I-80 that could make better locations for a truck stop. “Nobody I talked to wanted it there because it would just disrupt the beauty of that valley.”