The Merced Planning Commission held a regular meeting on December 17, 2025, starting at 6:00 PM. The meeting included the introduction of a new planning manager, approval of consent calendar items, a public hearing on a food truck conditional use permit, a public hearing on a 160-unit apartment complex, and an informational workshop on the Virginia Smith Trust Specific Plan. Commissioners also discussed future agenda items and attended community events.
I call to order the meeting of the planning commission for December 17th, 2025. I now ask for a moment of silence. Commissioner Swigard, will you please lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance? Kayla, roll call. Commissioner Smith. Present. View. Absent excused. Swigert. Present. Ochoa? Present. Gregens? Present. And Chairperson Gonzalez. Present. We have a quorum. Before we get started, we'd like to move it over or give the mic to uh deputy city manager Frank Wintero. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Sir and Commissioners, just like to share with you that tonight we have the opportunity to introduce to our new planning manager, Sam Roche. Sam comes from us or comes to us from Madera County. We stole him, so we're very proud of that. Uh he has private sector experience and also served as a planning commissioner in years gone by. Also with you up at the dice uh is our chief deputy city attorney, Miss Rhonda Lucas. And I do want to give a wholehearted thank you to Johnny Land, who served as acting planning manager for six months, and to Francisco Mendoza Gonzalez, who served as acting principal planner in May did both a very worthy job and represented the city well in those capacities. So, sir, I'll turn it over back to you. Thank you. And just reiterating uh Francisco and Johnny did an amazing job, so thank you for all the support and guidance through the last six months. Uh welcome, Sam. We look forward to a great 2026 uh with all the products we've got going on. Um real excited about what we have going forward. So thank you, everybody. Uh Kayla. Members of the audience who wish to address the planning commission are requested to complete a speaker card available at the podium at the back of the council chamber. Please submit the completed card to the clerk before the item is called, preferably before the meeting begins. I would like to briefly go over the process of submitting comments to the planning commission. Please submit your public comment to the planning commission electronically, no later than 1 p.m. on the day of the meeting. Comments received before the deadline will be sent to the planning commission and will be part of the record and mentioned as part of the public comment portion of the agenda. Material may be emailed to planning web at city of Merced.gov and should be limited to 300 words or less. Please specify which portion of the agenda you were commenting on. For example, oral communications or item number. Your comments will be presented to the planning commission at the appropriate time. Any correspondence received after 1 p.m. will be distributed to the planning commission and retained for the official record. TV video or listen to the planning commission meeting live, go to the city's website, www.city of Merced.gov, Facebook Live or Comcast Public Access Channel 96. We now move on to Section C, which is public comment. Members of the public who wish to speak on any matter not listed on the agenda may speak during this portion of the meeting and will be allotted three minutes. State law prohibits the planning commission from acting at this meeting on any matter raised during the public comment period.