OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Planning Commission Meeting on Industrial Warehouse Standards - May 9, 2024

Planning Commission — Thursday, May 9, 2024
BodyStockton, California
SessionPlanning Commission
DateThursday, May 9, 2024
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 34:53

Transcript — Verbatim
0:11

So my mic on.

0:12

Uh good evening, everyone.

0:13

Welcome to the Planning Commission meeting of May 9th, 2024.

0:17

At this time, I would ask the city clerk to please take roll.

0:21

Commissioner Web C'est Present.

0:23

Commissioner Mallet.

0:25

Present.

0:25

Commissioner Jones.

0:26

Present.

0:27

Commissioner Thompson.

0:28

Present.

0:29

Vice Chair Bopay.

0:30

Present.

0:31

Chair Hole?

0:32

Present.

0:32

For the quorum.

0:33

Excellent.

0:34

I would ask at this time for Commissioner Mallet to do the pledge, please.

0:43

I pledge allegiance to declare at the United States of America.

0:48

And to the Republic for which it stands.

1:00

All right.

1:01

There are no consent items.

1:02

Item number three.

1:04

Um we the next section is public comment.

1:08

Uh this section is of the agenda is reserved for public comment, anything within the jurisdiction of the commission.

1:13

If the member of the public would like to speak on civic agenda item, they may do so now or later when the item is called.

1:20

Do we have any cards at this time?

1:22

Yes, sure.

1:23

We have one.

1:24

Mr.

1:24

Lester.

1:34

Hello.

1:34

Welcome.

1:35

Okay, sorry.

1:36

Testing.

1:39

Keep forgetting that.

1:40

There you go.

1:40

Excellent.

1:41

Um, so it's just a public comment of uh first, of course.

1:44

Thank you for your guys' time.

1:46

Um, I know that I have been in some of these public areas like the parks, and I'm actually seeing a lot of improvements from the workers and the land workers, uh, the landscapers, uh, as well as the all in general of all the new things that's going to be coming into these Stockton areas.

2:03

And I actually wanted to say, I know this might be off the subject or not of the subject, but if this could be possibly planned to discuss um is something with I think I gotta make sure I can say his name correctly, Carlos Vilipuda.

2:19

He's been getting some attention, and I didn't know that there's a AB 2200 bill act that's coming for free health care.

2:25

As if it was possible that we could plan something about it, or if there's not, of course, please help me out with it.

2:31

Um, I just wanted to see what can we do to see if this can be um mentioned more so we can see what are the pros and cons with it.

2:40

Always have a minute left.

2:41

I always do this.

2:42

Okay.

2:43

Um another thing as well is um I have been trying to apply for some of the Stockton civilian jobs, I believe, um, to assist you guys with.

2:56

And I think it was back when August, when I first came to this town hall, um, they didn't admit that they need help, they accepted that they needed help.

3:07

And with me being a full-time martial artist with several degrees and state champion, national champion.

3:13

I feel like I'm glad that they are growing from accepting they need assistance and help with the issues that are in Stockton.

3:20

And I would like to see what can I do on pretty much finding an employment in those um fields.

3:26

So this is kind of like a job uh request.

3:28

See if I can get hired by anything or any recommendations you guys can help me with that I can find so I can continue to help you guys with um some of this stuff in Stockton.

3:38

That is it.

3:40

Excellent.

3:40

Well, thank you.

3:41

Um I'm not sure that we I some of these items we can forward on uh to the city council, potentially.

3:48

Um we are planning commission, we don't necessarily have uh that kind of power uh to hire.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Zoning And Land Use██████████████████████████26%
Industrial Warehouse Standards██████████████████████████26%
Procedural█████████████████████████25%
Public Comment██████████████████18%
Technology and Innovation█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Planning Commission Meeting on Industrial Warehouse Standards - May 9, 2024

The Stockton Planning Commission held a meeting on May 9, 2024, from 5:30 PM to 6:12 PM. The primary agenda item was a resolution recommending the City Council adopt amendments to the Stockton Municipal Code regarding industrial warehouse standards. The meeting included public comment, a staff presentation, and a unanimous vote to forward the proposed modifications to the City Council.

Consent Calendar

  • None.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Hosea Lester (public comment) spoke about improvements in public parks, requested discussion of AB 2200 bill regarding free health care, and inquired about civilian job opportunities with the City of Stockton. He expressed that the city has acknowledged needing help and offered his qualifications as a martial artist.
  • Rob Mitchell (Green Law Partners, developer) expressed strong support for staff's work and the proposed setback clarification. He emphasized the importance of flexible setback design to make large mixed-use industrial sites economically feasible.
  • Mary Elizabeth (Stockton resident) argued that the feasibility analysis focused on developer economics and ignored community health costs. She cited CBRE Q1 2024 data showing Stockton warehouse costs are only 11 cents more than Tracy, contradicting the claim that 9 cents was unreasonable. She stated that environmental justice concerns require fair mitigation from warehouse projects.
  • Trevor Smith (TS Planning and Development) supported staff's recommendations and noted that the South Stockton Commerce Center project (6 million sq ft) will incorporate these measures even if not required.

Discussion Items

  • Item 5.1: Industrial Warehouse Standards Amendment – Staff (Matt Diaz, Advanced Planning Manager) presented a zoning code amendment stemming from 2022 agreements with the Attorney General and Sierra Club. The City Council adopted initial standards in December 2023 and directed exploration of six modifications. The Planning Commission consensus from an earlier informational session was to accept three modifications and reject three others. Staff proposed additional clarifying language for the existing 300-foot loading dock setback, specifying allowed design elements (building, internal drive aisles, landscaping, stormwater basins). The proposed modifications include:
    • Removing solar installation requirements (rejected)
    • Removing adjustments to automobile charging requirements (rejected)
    • Rejecting additional setback restrictions (rejected) but clarifying existing language
    • Modifying truck charging requirements to include light/medium/heavy-duty trucks (partially accepted)
    • Increasing minimum warehouse size from 100,000 sq ft to 400,000 sq ft (accepted)
    • Making standards applicable only to new warehouses on annexed lands after December 31, 2023 (accepted)
  • Commissioners expressed unanimous appreciation for staff's outreach and the balanced approach. Commissioner Mallett, Rizvi, Boparai, Thompson, and Hull all commended the process.
  • Reports/Communications: Michael McDowell (Assistant Director, Community Development) indicated that the May 23, 2024 meeting would likely be canceled due to lack of agenda items.
  • Commissioner Comments: Commissioner Mallett acknowledged Collins Electric's 100th anniversary in Stockton. Commissioner Rizvi thanked the ad-hoc committee. Vice Chair Boparai noted Collins Electric installed the first 1.2 MW truck chargers in Bakersfield and that 17% of San Joaquin County works in the industry, while 5.5% are unemployed. Chair Hull stated the resulting ordinance is among the most restrictive environmentally in the state.

Key Outcomes

  • Motion 2024-05-09-0501: Unanimously approved (6-0) to waive reading of late-submitted commissioner correspondence.
  • Resolution 2024-05-09-0501: Unanimously approved (6-0) to recommend the City Council:
    1. Find the proposed ordinance exempt under CEQA (Section 15061(b)(3) and Section 15183).
    2. Adopt an ordinance amending SMC Section 16.80.390 with language clarifying allowed design elements within the existing 300-foot setback.
  • The recommendation will be forwarded to the City Council for final consideration in July 2024.
  • The May 23, 2024 Planning Commission meeting is expected to be cancelled.

Meeting Transcript

So my mic on. Uh good evening, everyone. Welcome to the Planning Commission meeting of May 9th, 2024. At this time, I would ask the city clerk to please take roll. Commissioner Web C'est Present. Commissioner Mallet. Present. Commissioner Jones. Present. Commissioner Thompson. Present. Vice Chair Bopay. Present. Chair Hole? Present. For the quorum. Excellent. I would ask at this time for Commissioner Mallet to do the pledge, please. I pledge allegiance to declare at the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands. All right. There are no consent items. Item number three. Um we the next section is public comment. Uh this section is of the agenda is reserved for public comment, anything within the jurisdiction of the commission. If the member of the public would like to speak on civic agenda item, they may do so now or later when the item is called. Do we have any cards at this time? Yes, sure. We have one. Mr. Lester. Hello. Welcome. Okay, sorry. Testing. Keep forgetting that. There you go. Excellent. Um, so it's just a public comment of uh first, of course. Thank you for your guys' time. Um, I know that I have been in some of these public areas like the parks, and I'm actually seeing a lot of improvements from the workers and the land workers, uh, the landscapers, uh, as well as the all in general of all the new things that's going to be coming into these Stockton areas. And I actually wanted to say, I know this might be off the subject or not of the subject, but if this could be possibly planned to discuss um is something with I think I gotta make sure I can say his name correctly, Carlos Vilipuda. He's been getting some attention, and I didn't know that there's a AB 2200 bill act that's coming for free health care. As if it was possible that we could plan something about it, or if there's not, of course, please help me out with it. Um, I just wanted to see what can we do to see if this can be um mentioned more so we can see what are the pros and cons with it. Always have a minute left. I always do this. Okay. Um another thing as well is um I have been trying to apply for some of the Stockton civilian jobs, I believe, um, to assist you guys with. And I think it was back when August, when I first came to this town hall, um, they didn't admit that they need help, they accepted that they needed help.

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