VACAVILLE, Calif. — Standing at 70 feet tall, a dark tower looms over a Vacaville shopping center, leaving residents wondering what it is.
The owner of The Ranch, formerly known as the Alamo Plaza shopping center, says it’s meant to be a “landmark” for the area, something to draw people in — at least once it’s finished.
The tower started construction in 2018, but has been in planning since about 2007. The owner of the plaza, Daria Hosseinyoun, says he hopes the tower will be finished sometime this year.
“The tower was built as a landmark to be easily visible throughout part of Vacaville,” he said. “The top will eventually be lit up to serve as a modern day beacon. We hope to continue to make The Ranch a destination with our recent improvement efforts.”
Current plans are to put a restaurant or business in the lower half of the structure to increase community engagement.
“The purpose of the tower is to become a hot spot restaurant that continues to evolve Vacaville away from the large chain restaurants,” said Hosseinyoun. “We want to create something modern with an indoor and outdoor element with food that makes it a top destination in Vacaville.”
He says the ultimate goal is to let locals and tourists have “an experience that doesn’t exist in Vacaville.”
Located on the corner of Alamo Drive and Merchant Street, the plaza was built in the 1970s and began undergoing revitalization efforts in 2007 due to a “significant decline in occupied tenant spaces over the years,” not having an “anchor store” and an overall vacancy rate of “approximately 50%,” according to a 2007 staff report by then city planner Ward Stewart.
The changes originally wanted a 78-foot tower in the space, but it was eventually limited to 70 due to city codes.
Additional changes added new pedestrian paths “to encourage greater connectivity within the center,” new landscaping, play structures, public restrooms, designated outdoor dining areas for eating establishments and a 5% reduction in on-site parking to accommodate the proposed changes, according to a city planning commission document.
There aren’t currently any plans for a specific restaurant to get into the space, but the original design is set for a "burger tower" and residents on social media expect something like another coffee shop.
Some residents on social media think the tower is some sort of bat-signal, a 5G cell tower or just an eyesore. Even with the mixed reviews on how it looks, people are excited to have something new the area.
