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Record of Proceedings

Merced Planning Commission Meeting Summary – April 8, 2026

City Council & Commissions — Wednesday, April 8, 2026
BodyMerced, California
SessionCity Council & Commissions
DateWednesday, April 8, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 9:47

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Get started.

0:00

I call to order the meeting of the Planning Commission for April 8th, 2026.

0:05

I now ask for a moment of silence.

0:12

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

0:20

Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

0:24

And to the Republic for which it stands.

0:26

One nation under God.

0:30

Liberty and Justice for All.

0:41

Commissioner Smith.

0:43

Absent excused.

0:48

Present.

0:50

Present.

0:51

Ochoa.

0:52

Present.

0:53

Gregens?

0:54

Present.

0:54

And Chairperson Gonzalez.

0:56

Present.

0:56

Thank you, Kayla.

0:57

We have a quorum.

0:58

Caleb will now read information about how the public may participate in the meeting.

1:02

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.

1:10

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

1:15

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

1:20

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

1:24

on the day of the meeting.

1:26

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.

1:34

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

1:40

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

1:44

For example, oral communications or item number.

1:46

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

1:50

Any correspondence received after 1 p.m.

1:53

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

1:56

TV video or listen to the planning commission meeting live.

1:59

Go to those cities website, www.city of Merced.gov, Facebook Live or Comcast Public Access Channel 96.

2:09

Thank you, Kayla.

2:10

We move we now move on to item C, public comment.

2:13

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.

2:20

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

2:26

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

2:32

Kayla, do we have any requests to speak?

2:35

No, we do not.

2:37

Does anybody in the public wish to speak on this comment or during this public comment section?

2:44

No.

2:46

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

2:50

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

2:59

Hearing and seeing none.

3:02

We'll be able to approve all the items with one vote.

3:05

No discussion.

3:09

I do want to say that there is a request to speak form for item D one, the abandonment.

3:18

Okay.

3:19

So we're gonna pull that item and we will allot three minutes.

3:26

Okayems if nothing else wants to move on.

3:29

Commissioner Greggens.

3:30

Did you want to it was to make the motion to approve uh the consent items excluding item D1?

3:39

I'll make the motion to approve the consent calendar um with the exclusion of D1 for separate consideration.

3:44

And I'll approve the motion or I'll second the motion.

3:47

So we have a we have a motion to approve by Commissioner Greggens.

3:52

A motion to a second, a second by Chairman Gonzalez.

3:58

We now move to a vote.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████51%
Land Use Authority███████████████████████26%
Personnel Matters███████████12%
Housing Code Enforcement██████████11%
Summary of Proceedings

Merced Planning Commission Meeting – April 8, 2026

The Merced Planning Commission held its regular meeting on April 8, 2026, at 6:00 PM in the City Council Chamber. The meeting included approval of consent calendar items, a separate discussion on an easement vacation, and informational reports on upcoming agendas and events. The meeting adjourned at 6:13 PM.

Consent Calendar

  • Item D.2 – Planning Commission Annual Attendance Report: Approved as part of the consent calendar.
  • Item D.3 – Planning Commission Minutes of March 4, 2026: Approved and filed as part of the consent calendar.
  • Item D.1 – Abandonment #25-0001: Pulled from the consent calendar for separate consideration (see Discussion Items).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No members of the public spoke during the public comment period (Item C) or on non-agenda items.

Discussion Items

  • Item D.1 – Abandonment #25-0001 (Easement Vacation): The commission considered a request by Leo Ramirez Roofing INC. to vacate a 20-foot-wide public utility easement at 400 West 7th Street. The applicant’s representative, Alfred Alvarez, explained that the easement is no longer needed and vacating it would allow construction of an ADU and residence in compliance with building codes. Planning and Engineering staff recommended approval. The commission voted unanimously to approve the abandonment.
  • Item E.1 – Report by Planning Manager of Upcoming Agenda Items: Planning Manager Leah reported on upcoming meetings: a joint study session with City Council on May 18 for the General Plan update (time TBD), cancellation of the next Planning Commission meeting, and two conditional use permits for mobile food vendors scheduled for May 6.
  • Item E.2 – Calendar of Meetings/Events: The commission noted the schedule of upcoming City Council and Planning Commission meetings.
  • Item E.3 – Planning Commission Comments: No comments were made by commissioners.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent Calendar (excluding D.1): Approved unanimously (motion by Commissioner Greggens, second by Chair Gonzalez).
  • Abandonment #25-0001: Approved unanimously (motion by Commissioner Greggens, second by Commissioner Ochoa).
  • Announcements: Kayla was recognized as the new planner, and a replacement will be sought.
  • Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 6:13 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Get started. I call to order the meeting of the Planning Commission for April 8th, 2026. I now ask for a moment of silence. Commissioner Greggans, will you please lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance? Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God. Liberty and Justice for All. Commissioner Smith. Absent excused. Present. Present. Ochoa. Present. Gregens? Present. And Chairperson Gonzalez. Present. Thank you, Kayla. We have a quorum. Caleb will now read information about 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 are 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 those cities website, www.city of Merced.gov, Facebook Live or Comcast Public Access Channel 96. Thank you, Kayla. We move 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 the discussion of that item. Kayla, do we have any requests to speak? No, we do not. Does anybody in the public wish to speak on this comment or during this public comment section? No. We now move on to item D, which is consent calendar, including minutes. Would the commission like to remove any items for separate consideration? Hearing and seeing none. We'll be able to approve all the items with one vote. No discussion. I do want to say that there is a request to speak form for item D one, the abandonment.

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