Business View Civil and Municipal | Volume 2, Issue 12

79 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 2, ISSUE 11 plant or livestock processing facility. This allows us to better plan our futures.” It’s still challenging when a community like Dixon runs out of space after four years of rapid expansion. Developers are hoping to annex (expand) the city’s boundaries to allow future growth. Until then, existing developments continue, including Homestead – the approved residential subdivision of 1168 new single-family units with 274 being reserved for those 55 and older. Lindley believes this project will transform the community’s demographics significantly. Equally important is the 501,000-square-foot commercial facility underway. When finished, it will be Dixon’s, GE Appliances (a Haier company) distribution warehouse. Burkhardt credits Dixon’s status as a bedroom community in securing the GE Appliances facility. He states, “Most residents work somewhere else. It means a new employer could have access to a ready-made workforce. Obviously, many people would prefer to work and live within the same C I TY OF DI XON, CAL I FORNI A community. That’s why we’re brainstorming developments to provide employers with opportunities to access our workforce.” Coming up with these new ideas is easier alongside strong economic and workforce development partners. Burkhardt meets regularly with the Workforce Development Board (WBD) of Solano County and other economic development professionals who work directly with local businesses. The WBD and the Solano Community College have even collaborated on developing a biomanufacturing Baccalaureate program offered through the college. Biotechnology has become a burgeoning industry in the area since Genentech, a large bio manufacturing plant, is headquartered in nearby South San Francisco. Perhaps most importantly, is the community’s proximity to one of the world’s preeminent universities, the University of California, Davis (UC Davis). It offers a myriad of superior undergraduate, graduate, and professional school programs and is especially renowned for Courtesy of Gary Erwin