DIXON, CA (MPG) - Many of us have been surprised by the new stop sign at A Street and Evans either when coming into town from the freeway or leaving town. Surprised because normally there are all kinds of notices to warn the driver that there is a new stop sign. Flashers, white A-frame barricades or warning signs plus large ‘STOP’ letters painted on the asphalt usually grabbing your attention.

So, when there was near to none of these things last week, one would know something was different and there was: The sign was placed by the developers of the Southwest Dixon Specific Plan otherwise known as the Homestead Project.

“That [sign] is a condition for approval for the Southwest Development,” said City Engineer Joe Leach. “We weren’t aware of the day that they installed it, or we would have got the advanced flashers. They are there now,” he said. So is a police cruiser.

“When we install a traffic control device, the Chief is pretty good about educating his staff and giving people a good amount of time to get used to it.” Leach said. As of press time, the A-frame warning sign has been replaced by a pole with a sign, lettering has been painted but there is only one flashing red light above the stop signs. Hopefully, it is enough to prevent accidents.

The stop sign will soon become permanent and ultimately, it will change to a traffic light. Leach predicted maybe five years depending on the development’s progress.

The Homestead Project is currently planned to include 1,168 single-family homes of varying sizes that will appeal to first-time home buyers, families, empty nesters and seniors. Of those, 274 are for residents age 55 and older. It will also include a commercial site for retail businesses, 31 acres of parks, open space and trails, and a fire station site.

Phase one home construction began this past January on South Lincoln and Pitt School Road just past Hillview Drive but the build out of the entire Homestead project will likely take several years with specific timing determined by market conditions and the City’s Measure B which limits the number of homes that can be built annually.

In other city updates, the Verizon store on North First Street is almost ready to open.  It is located between Panda Express and the upcoming Grocery Outlet Store. Once Verizon is done with the sight improvements which include connecting their water system to Vaughn Road, people will see planting and landscaping.

If you are wondering what is going next to Walmart, it is the company called ‘Scannel.’ They are developing a distribution center of electrical components. Scannel was established to provide automation solutions using RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology in the fields of textile manufacturing, apparel retail, logistics health care, etc.

Their products and services can be used in various applications such as inventory control, asset tracking, supply chain management, and production management to name a few. Their first phase is a very large storm drainpipe so Dorset, on the Walmart side, will be torn up for a bit when that begins, according to Leach.

Lastly, take note that many streets in Dixon are about to be sites of major road improvements and there will probably be many residents rerouted going to and from their homes due to the ‘2020 Pavement Rehab Project.’ 

This was just approved at the last city council meeting and the staff report lists all the streets that are going to be affected. The work consists of micro-surfacing and striping on existing streets within Dixon. Improvements also include crack-sealing on some streets.

The streets are in the newer home areas between Lincoln and Stratford including the surrounding area by Gretchen Higgins Elementary School.  Main streets are Regency Parkway, Pembroke, and Stratford Avenue although there are more and are listed in the report. The public can access that report on the City of Dixon website. The City Council notification campaign on that project starts in the next two weeks, he said.