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Record of Proceedings

Merced Planning Commission Meeting - March 4, 2026: VST Phase 1D Subdivision Approved

City Council & Commissions — Wednesday, March 4, 2026

BodyMerced, California

SessionCity Council & Commissions

DateWednesday, March 4, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 18:18

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:00

Meeting of the Planning Commission for March 4th 2026.

0:04

I now ask for a moment of silence.

0:13

Commissioner Ochoa, will you please lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance?

0:20

I Pledge of Allegiance is the United States of America and the Republic for which it stands.

0:37

We now move on to Section B roll call.

0:39

Kayla.

0:42

Commissioner Smith.

0:45

Yeah.

0:47

Present.

0:48

Swigger.

0:49

Here.

0:50

Ochoa.

0:51

Present.

0:52

Gregg's.

0:53

Present.

0:53

And Chairperson Gonzalez.

0:55

Here.

0:56

Kayla will now.

0:58

Oh, sorry.

0:58

We have a quorum.

0:59

Kayla will now read information on how the public may participate in the meeting.

1:03

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.

1:12

Please submit the completed card to the clerk before the item is called, preferably before the meeting begins.

1:17

I would like to briefly go over the process of submitting comments to the planning commission.

1:22

Please submit your public comment to the planning commission electronically no later than 1 p.m.

1:26

on the day of the meeting.

1:27

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.

1:36

Material may be emailed to planning web at city of Merced.gov and should be limited to 300 words or less.

1:42

Please specify which portion of the agenda you were commenting on.

1:46

For example, oral communications or item number.

1:49

Your comments will be presented to the planning commission at the appropriate time.

1:52

Any correspondence received after 1 p.m.

1:55

will be distributed to the planning commission and retained for the official record.

1:58

TV video and listen to the planning commission meeting live.

2:02

Go to the city's website, www.city of Merced.gov, Facebook Live or Comcast Public Access Channel 96.

2:12

Thank you, Kayla.

2:13

We now move on to item C, public comment.

2:16

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.

2:23

State law prohibits the planning commission from acting at this meeting on any matter raised during the public comment period.

2:28

Members of the public who wish to speak on a matter that is listed on the agenda will be called upon to speak during discussion of that item.

2:35

Kayla, do we have any requests to speak at this time?

2:39

No, we do not.

2:42

That's gonna be for his thing there.

2:45

We now move on to item D, consent calendar including minutes.

2:48

Would the commission like to remove any items for separate consideration?

2:55

Hearing and seeing none.

2:57

Do we have any requests to speak from any of the consent items for any of the consent items?

3:03

No.

3:04

No.

3:07

Uh and I call for a motion.

3:11

I'll motion.

3:12

I'll second.

3:14

We have a motion by Commissioner Ochoa, second by Commissioner Greggans.

3:17

We now move to a vote.

3:20

Let me change this off.

3:25

And it has passed.

3:27

Thank you, folks.

3:34

Okay.

3:38

We now move on to item E, public hearings.

3:42

Item E1.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Land Use Authority██████████████████████████████████████████42%

Procedural███████████████████████████████31%

Economic Development███████████11%

Food Truck Regulation██████6%

Affordable Housing█████5%

Engineering And Infrastructure█████5%

Summary of Proceedings

Merced Planning Commission Meeting - March 4, 2026

The Merced Planning Commission met on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, at 6:00 PM in the City Council Chamber. The main action was the unanimous approval of Vesting Tentative Subdivision Map #25-0011 for the Virginia Smith Trust (VST) Phase 1D, a 197-lot residential subdivision on 58.17 acres. The meeting lasted approximately 18 minutes, adjourning at 6:18 PM.

Consent Calendar

Minutes (January 21, 2026): The Planning Commission unanimously approved and filed the minutes from the January 21, 2026, meeting.

Public Comments & Testimony

No members of the public spoke during the public comment period or during the public hearing for the subdivision item. No written comments were received before the meeting.

Discussion Items

Vesting Tentative Subdivision Map #25-0011 (VST Phase 1D): This item was a public hearing for a request by the Board of Education of Merced County (property owner) to subdivide approximately 58.17 acres into 197 lots. The site is located east of Lake Road, about 5,000 feet north of East Yosemite Avenue, within Planned Development #80 and the Virginia Smith Trust Specific Plan. The project is part of a larger master plan with a 15-year build-out, expected to provide up to 4,400 dwelling units and over 860,000 square feet of retail/office space. Planning staff presented infrastructure details, including streets (Center Street, Kibby Road, Cardello Road), sewer, water, and storm drain improvements. Conditions of approval include 39 items, such as prohibiting residential driveways on arterial/collector streets (Condition #18), requiring dedication of street right-of-way (Condition #29), and requiring final map recording for the large lot subdivision first (Condition #39). The applicant (a representative of the Board of Education) provided an update on market conditions, noting headwinds such as high interest rates and construction costs, but expressed optimism that a master developer could be signed within six months. The item was continued from the January 21 meeting due to scheduling.

Key Outcomes

Unanimous Approval: The Commission approved Vesting Tentative Subdivision Map #25-0011 and Environmental Review #25-0036 (a Categorical Exemption under CEQA Guidelines Section 15162 – Subsequent EIR) subject to the 39 conditions of approval. The motion was made by Commissioner Ochoa, seconded by Commissioner Greggans, and passed with all five commissioners voting in favor (Commissioners Smith, Swigger, Ochoa, Greggans, and Chairperson Gonzalez).
Future Agenda Items: The Planning Manager noted upcoming items, including potential Conditional Use Permits for food vendors in April, and a training session for commissioners at the academy.

Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 6:18 PM by a motion of Commissioner Swiggart, seconded by Commissioner Greggans, with all in favor.

Meeting Transcript

Meeting of the Planning Commission for March 4th 2026. I now ask for a moment of silence. Commissioner Ochoa, will you please lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance? I Pledge of Allegiance is the United States of America and the Republic for which it stands. We now move on to Section B roll call. Kayla. Commissioner Smith. Yeah. Present. Swigger. Here. Ochoa. Present. Gregg's. Present. And Chairperson Gonzalez. Here. Kayla will now. Oh, sorry. We have a quorum. Kayla will now read information on how the public may participate in the meeting. 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 and 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. Thank you, Kayla. We now move on to item C, 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. Members of the public who wish to speak on a matter that is listed on the agenda will be called upon to speak during discussion of that item. Kayla, do we have any requests to speak at this time? No, we do not. That's gonna be for his thing there. We now move on to item D, consent calendar including minutes. Would the commission like to remove any items for separate consideration? Hearing and seeing none. Do we have any requests to speak from any of the consent items for any of the consent items? No. No. Uh and I call for a motion.

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