Stockton Planning Commission Meeting – April 10, 2025

The Stockton Planning Commission met on April 10, 2025, from 5:30 PM to 9:01 PM. Chair Jeff Sanguinetti presided. Commissioners present were Gurneel Boparai, Terry Hull, Derek Graves, William Muetzenberg, and Yolanda Amen, who arrived at 5:43 PM. The commission acted on a consent calendar, conducted public hearings on two development requests, heard a Police Department informational presentation, and received staff and commissioner reports.

Consent Calendar

• 3.1 Tra Vigne East (P25-0031): Approved Resolution 2025-04-10-0301 granting a third one-year time extension for the approved Vesting Tentative Map.
• 3.2 Tra Vigne West (P24-0260): Approved Resolution 2025-04-10-0302 granting a third one-year time extension for the approved Vesting Tentative Map.
• 3.3 Cannabis Use Permit Denial (P24-0214): Approved Resolution 2025-04-10-0303 denying a Use Permit for a cannabis retail storefront and non-storefront delivery business at 4895 State Route 99 Frontage Road, Suite C.
• Motion by Commissioner Hull, seconded by Commissioner Boparai; carried 4-1. Commissioner Graves voted no; Commissioner Amen was absent for the vote.

Public Comments & Testimony

• General public comment: None.
• Item 5.1 – 6505 South McKinley Avenue: Raul Hernandez, representing plumbers and pipe fitters, spoke in favor, citing more than 700 Stockton households in the union and support for local union construction jobs. Mitch Vinciguerra, a Carpenters Union field representative, also spoke in favor, noting more than 1,000 union members in Stockton.
• Item 5.3 – Murray Ranch: Several residents spoke in opposition or raised concerns. Andrea Blanson, Benji Adams, Gloria Prieto, Tim Mora, Calvin Jones, Patrick Gonzalez, William Espinosa, and Peter Torner Jr. described Hall Avenue as a narrow country road and a dead-end neighborhood; they objected to increased traffic, safety risks, lack of notice, loss of community character, and impacts on their homes. Some requested an alternative access point through Section Avenue or the Murray Trailer property. Gloria Prieto also reported a nearby environmental study allegedly finding an Indian artifact and asked whether it had been reported. Applicant Mike O'Hara responded that project studies found no cultural artifacts on site, augering had been done, and archaeological monitoring would be provided in sensitive areas.

Discussion Items

Item 5.1 – Continued Mitigated Negative Declaration, Prezoning, and Design Review, 6505 South McKinley Avenue (P23-0125)

• Staff summarized added conditions responding to earlier commission concerns: Condition 20 limits truck idling to 3 minutes and requires visible signage; Condition 21 requires a double row of 15-gallon trees along the southern property line adjacent to residential-designated parcels.
• The commission discussed stormwater and flood risk. Staff responded that the project must comply with the city's master storm drainage plan and floodplain ordinance, and that stormwater detention features would be required before building permits.
• Commissioner Boparai referenced a Sierra Club letter asking for more trees, idling signs, and flood-mitigation investment; staff noted existing floodplain and drainage requirements.
• The motion recommended the City Council adopt the Mitigated Negative Declaration, adopt the pre-zoning of APN 193-020-34 to Industrial Limited, and approve Design Review. The motion passed 6-0.
• Note: The agenda lists approved resolutions 2025-04-10-0501-01/02, while the motion text in the minutes references 2025-04-10-0502-01/02; the source documents conflict on the resolution numbers.

Item 5.2 – Alcohol Beverage License Upgrade, 10715 Trinity Parkway (P24-0254)

• Pulled from the agenda for further review; no action taken.

Item 5.3 – Murray Ranch Annexation, Prezoning, Vesting Tentative Map, Planned Development, Waiver, and Heritage Tree Removal, 2560 Hall Avenue (P23-0346)

• Staff presented the 37.4-acre project proposing 217 single-family residential lots, with 28.56 acres at 2560 Hall Avenue and 8.84 acres at 2530 East Section Avenue. The project is designated Low Density Residential in the 2040 General Plan; gross density would be 5.8 dwelling units per acre, below the 6.1 maximum, and net density would be 9.2 dwelling units per acre, above the 8.7 maximum, requiring a waiver. Open space totals 351,965 square feet, about 8.22 acres, or roughly 21% of the site. The project would remove up to 47 heritage trees with a 3:1 replacement ratio, requiring 141 new trees.
• Staff recommended no further environmental review under Public Resources Code Section 21083.3 and CEQA Guidelines Section 15183, approval of the vesting tentative map, planned development, waiver, and heritage tree removal, and a recommendation to City Council for pre-zoning to Residential Low.
• Applicant Mike O'Hara of Tim Lewis Communities said the project addresses state housing mandates, was described as affordable by design, and would have anticipated starting prices around $500,000. He noted the project includes parks, a dog park, a fitness circuit, and preserved oak and seasonal creek areas.
• In response to public concerns, traffic consultant Yo-Yo Zheng said the project's three access points would distribute traffic. Hall Avenue would see about 60-70 project trips in peak hours; the delay at Hall Avenue and Mariposa Road would remain around 4-5 seconds plus about 1 second, and no signal or turn lane would be required.
• The commission discussed CEQA, biological and cultural resources, and county jurisdiction over Hall Avenue. Chair Sanguinetti noted Hall Avenue is county-maintained and the city cannot condition improvements to it. He also noted that future street connections had been anticipated in prior subdivision approvals.
• Chair Sanguinetti asked staff to provide at least 20 days' notice and to send notices to all Hall Avenue addresses for the future City Council hearing, rather than only the 300-foot statutory notice area.

Reports & Informational Items

• Chair Sanguinetti reported that the ad hoc committee met with staff to review the development code update; they reviewed division one and part of division two and scheduled another meeting.
• Deputy Director Mike McDowell said he would meet individually with commissioners to discuss findings and how the code applies to decision-making.
• A Police Department captain presented top calls-for-service statistics. He noted that high-reporting businesses are often cooperative partners in combating organized retail theft, and that raw statistics alone should not be used to penalize businesses. He suggested working with the city attorney and the code-revision process to add tools for chronic nuisance locations. The presentation was informational only; no action was taken.
• Commissioner Boparai commented on the City of Tracy Planning Commission's warehouse ordinance process and raised the possibility of a formal liaison role. The city attorney advised that any representation on behalf of the Stockton Planning Commission should be formalized at a future meeting.
• Commissioner Amen apologized for arriving late and shared that her husband had recently undergone quadruple bypass surgery.

Key Outcomes

• Consent calendar approved 4-1, adopting Resolutions 2025-04-10-0301, 0302, and 0303.
• Item 5.1 approved 6-0, recommending City Council adoption of the Mitigated Negative Declaration, pre-zoning, and Design Review, subject to Conditions 20 and 21.
• Item 5.3 approved 6-0. The motion, made by Chair Sanguinetti and seconded by Commissioner Boparai, approved Resolutions 2025-04-10-0503-01 and 0503-02, with an added condition requiring the owner, developer, and successors in interest to conduct a pre-construction biological survey for potential sensitive species.
• Item 5.2 was pulled and not heard.
• Police Department presentation was informational only; staff will incorporate follow-up through the ad hoc code-revision process.
• Meeting adjourned at 9:01 PM.