Stockton Planning Commission Meeting – May 28, 2026

The Stockton Planning Commission met on May 28, 2026, at 5:30 PM. Four commissioners were present, constituting a quorum, and the meeting adjourned at 6:08 PM. The commission approved consent-calendar minutes and unanimously approved a use permit and design review for a child care center in the Conway Homes neighborhood. There was no new or unfinished business.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the minutes for the February 26, 2026, and March 26, 2026 Planning Commission meetings by Motion 2026-05-28-0301, moved by Yolanda Amen and seconded by Pandora Crowder. The vote was 4-0. The February 12, 2026 minutes were postponed to a future meeting.
• Present: Terry Hull (Chair), Yolanda Amen, Pandora Crowder, Jazmine Hernandez. Absent: Derek Graves, Jeff Sanguinetti, and Robert Oakes; Oakes and Sanguinetti were excused.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No public comment cards were submitted, and no public testimony was given during the general public comment period or the public hearing.

Discussion Items

Item 26-0505: Child Care Center at 2739 and 2741 Hawaii Avenue (P25-0092)

• Senior Planner Alex Gilbert presented the request by applicant Lars Goldberg, on behalf of the housing authority, to develop a child care center on an 18,712-square-foot parcel in Conway Homes. The site is designated medium density residential in the General Plan and zoned RM (Residential Medium Density). The proposal includes a roughly 3,600-square-foot daycare center for up to 58 children, with on-site landscaping, lighting, a parking lot, and a trash enclosure. A Commission Use Permit was required for a child care center in the RM district, and design review was required for the new commercial structure. The Architectural Review Committee had reviewed the project and recommended approval.
• Lindy Turner Harden, representing the Child Abuse Prevention Council, spoke in support. She said operating hours would be about 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM, with occasional parent nights once or twice a year until 6 PM. She described Community Care Licensing requirements: a preschool classroom with up to 24 children and 3 full-time staff, and an infant/toddler side with 6 infants and 8 toddlers and 4 staff, plus a center director, for about 8 staff on site and additional floating staff. She stated the facility would be locked during school hours, use sign-in/sign-out procedures, and only allow authorized pickups. She also noted the housing authority had worked for about eight years to bring services to Conway Homes and already had children enrolled under the operating budget, with an ideal opening date of July 2027.
• Commissioner Amen disclosed that she had visited the area and assessed the site. She expressed strong support for the project, noting the need for daycare, while raising concerns about fence height and emergency planning and requesting an amendment to increase the fence to 7 feet for child safety and privacy. Commissioner Crowder disclosed that she lives in Conway Homes and serves as a volunteer resident council member with no financial interest in the project; she expressed support and asked about trash enclosure access, street parking and traffic near a nearby charter school, and community hiring. Commissioner Hernandez asked about security features, locked doors, and visitor control.
• Commissioners also asked about parking and ADA spaces. One commissioner believed the plan showed seven parking spaces with only one ADA space; staff responded that building-code review during the building permit phase could adjust the number if required.

Key Outcomes

• The commission approved Resolution 2026-05-28-0501 by a vote of 4-0. The motion by Yolanda Amen was seconded by Pandora Crowder, with yes votes from Hull, Amen, Crowder, and Hernandez. The approval found the project categorically exempt from CEQA under CEQA Guidelines Section 15332 (In-Fill Development) and approved the Commission Use Permit and Design Review, subject to conditions, with condition 11 amended to increase fence height from 6 feet to 7 feet.
• Staff advised that any appeal of the decision must be filed within 10 days under Stockton Municipal Code Section 16.100.020.

Reports, Communications, and Informational Items

• Mike McDowell, Assistant Director, Community Development, reported that the June 11, 2026 Planning Commission meeting would be canceled because no items were on the agenda, and the June 25, 2026 meeting was also likely to be canceled due to the move to the new City Hall and council chambers. No Planning Commission meetings were expected in June 2026.

Commissioner Comments

• Commissioner Crowder announced that Sousa Park Pool would open on May 30, 2026, and that a Columbus Park ribbon cutting was planned for late June 2026.
• Commissioner Amen thanked city staff. Chair Hull commented on the voting buttons and the upcoming move to the new chambers.