Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

Good evening, and I would like to call the June 10th, 2026 regular meeting of the Lodi Planning Commission to order. If we could please have the role.

Commissioner Deal?

Here. Sorry.

Commissioner Eddy? Here. Vice Chair Singh?

Here.

Chair Hicks? Here. Commissioner Whale?

Here.

Commissioner McNichol? Here. Commissioner Lydon is not present. We do have a quorum.

Thank you. We're going to go to the minutes, the minutes for May 13 and May 27. Does anybody have any comments or questions or corrections or make a motion?

So just, sorry, just the one note that I mentioned to you just now. Yeah, so just a note that for the May 13th minutes, that that should be in reference to the downtown specific plan and not the use permit. I think the first paragraph carried over again. But the rest of the discussion looks correct. So if we can approve with that amendment, then I would motion to approve with that change. Yeah, the first paragraph of the May 13th minutes under item four, public hearings.

So is everybody in agreement with that? Yes.

Okay, so I motion. Yes, with that change.

So we have a motion. Do we have a second?

A second.

We have the vote. This is just for the May 13th? Meeting.

Can we approve them both at the same time?

Yes, please. Yeah, that was my goal. Yeah, OK. Perfect. Both, please. OK. Commissioner Deal?

Yes.

Commissioner Eddy? Yes. Vice Chair Singh?

Yes.

Chair Hicks? Yes. Commissioner Will?

Yes.

Commissioner McNichol. Yes.

Passes 6-0. I mean 6, yeah, 6-0. Thank you. There are no comments but public. For non-agenda items, we'll go to public hearings. Request for the Planning Commission to approve a tentative parcel map to divide one parcel into two parcels at 116 West Lockford Street. Applicant Omar Siddique. PE file number PL2026005, CEQA determination categorical exemption pursuant to CEQA guidelines section 15315.

Yes, as you mentioned, this is a request to split a parcel. The proposal is to divide one parcel into two parcels. Pretty straightforward. Here you can see an overview of the parcel. It is located one parcel in from the intersection of North Church Street and West Lockford in the northern end of the downtown mixed use area. The parcel is approximately 0.3 acres or 13,200 square feet. It currently has a small home residential on the lot. The surrounding uses include a single family dwelling across the street to the north. To the south, there is a bank and the bank's parking lot. There is a restaurant or Papa Pablo's to the east and a vacant parcel to the west. Here you can see the zoning map and the general plan map, which both demonstrate that the site is zoned downtown mixed use or known as the DMU. Here's a shot. The parcel is turned sideways so you can see it a little bit better of where the parcel split will be that highlighted a yellow dashed line. I just placed over the parcel map so you can get a better idea. I know it's hard to see in the packet where the new lot line will be there. Note that in the southwest corner there's a little carve out which is the city parcel and it's a well site for water source that's old and that will not be impacted. There's also an easement that is being required as a condition of approval by Public Works heading to that site that is the city on site in the corner there. So they are requiring that that little storage shed be removed or relocated that you can see highlighted in blue in this image here. So again, you can see on the left side of your screen would be Lockford Street, which would be facing north. Once the parcel is subdivided, the entry, the access for the second parcel would be on the alleyway. Here you can see the street view from Lockford facing south, looking at the small home where the fence is. And that parcel extends, as you saw in the former image, all the way down to the alleyway there. So once the parcel is split, parcel number one in the northern edge fronting Lockford would be a little bit over 7,000 square feet. And that's where the existing home sits right there, the little white building. And the second parcel would be 6131 square feet. And that's where that shed is that was highlighted in blue on the former image that will either be relocated or removed. Here you can see in our development code standards, there really are no minimum requirements in the downtown mixed use zone for parcel sizes, for lot width or depth. So they comply with the requirements for those which do not exist for the downtown mixed use area. That's why there are dashes or blanks in the required section here for both parcel one and parcel two.

One of the conditions of approval, as I mentioned, is a public utility easement that you can see highlighted in pink on the lower side of the graphic here on the right side of page, and that would be on the western portion of the parcel. That's where that shed, as I mentioned, is currently sitting, which will be removed or relocated to outside of the easement. And the parcel map will not conflict with the easement once that condition of approval is met. And that was really kind of the primary condition of approval that I wanted to point out for you. The project is categorically exempt under CEQA section 15315, which exempts divisions of land of four or fewer parcels, and that the division conforms with both the general plan and the zoning code, which it does in this case for the downtown mixed use zone. There are no exceptions or variances requested. All services and access to the parcel will require local standards, and that will be complied with because that second parcel does have the alley access. the parcel and subject parcel is not involved in a division of a prior parcel split in the previous two years and it does not have an average slope greater than 20 so it meets all the conditions for the sequa exemption that concludes my very brief presentation the applicant is available in zoom if you have any questions for them otherwise i am also available for questions thank you

Thank you very much for your presentation. Does anybody have any questions of staff?

Quick clarification. Once they split, I guess, now they have access from the, not from the alley you said, parcel number two, going to have access from the alley?

Correct. Which is allowable.

Which is allowable. So is there any issues with the emergency vehicle to get in? Our is wide enough. You can tell from how wide the correct.

Correct. Um, I, um, I can't recall off the top of my head, but I think it's 24 feet and the alley does comply with that requirement. When we do receive these applications, we route them to all the departments. including the fire marshal for review and public works also takes a look at it, electric utility, all the departments look at it. So it has met all of their requirements when it went through the review when we routed it to each department.

So why the city parcel required an easement there? Is that something they don't have access right now or that's something they're proposing the new easement there?

Yes, when a parcel is split, the city and public works typically conditions these types of things like a public utility easement as a condition of approval of the parcel map and that's to ensure, say, for example, there's ever and a need to access that site through there. There will be a public utility easement which would restrict being built on top of. So in the future, if there was any, there may not be any today, but say, you know, down the road, something occurs, and they need to access that site from the front of the parcel to bring, for example, a water line through there. Then they have the ability to bring the water line through there if needed.

So city is going to do their own build a driveway or something to bring in all that?

It's just an easement. So public utilities. All it does is restrict the property owner from building on top of it. And there would be a restriction. So for example, in the future, they came in and wanted to construct a building on it. We would make sure they don't build on top of it just in case it never needs to be accessed.

Thank you. It's all here.

Anybody else? Questions of staff?

So the residential property that's on the front parcel, my guess is that the lot is currently, since it's alley facing, there's garage and parking access for that parcel in the back. So is there any, because it's zoned DMU, I'm guessing that removes any requirement that parking be part of that residential parcel? That is correct.

Yeah, the downtown mixed use zone has zero parking requirements at this time. So any new businesses that open, new construction, new homes, rehabs, none of them in the downtown mixed use zone would have any parking requirements at all.

Thank you. Anybody else? Gary, did you have anything?

Well, I just wanted to confirm that both parcels will be DMU? Correct, yes. OK. Thank you.

OK. With that, we'll open up the public portion of hearing. Does anybody have any questions for the applicant? No? OK. I'll close the public portion and bring it back for a motion or any comments. further questions or comments or anything.

Correct. If you can see an aerial here. I don't know if you can see my mouse moving around. Yes, right there. There's an existing building. I believe it's a garage. I'm not. I'm not positive. Would you like me to pull it up and street view? I was trying to look at it earlier and in street view and it was kind of hard to tell. We can double check with the applicant there in Zoom if they would like to help answer.

Yeah, I believe it is a garage. This is Omar Siddiqui with JTS Engineering. And the applicant's plan is to demolish that and they're going to build a building in the future. Yes. Yeah, it's like a garage or storage. I can't recall.

Okay. That was my question. Thank you. Thank you.

Anybody else? Any questions?

I will make a motion. To approve the tentative parcel map subject to conditions of approval, oh, yeah. We're gonna move that the Planning Commission adopt a resolution finding that the project is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act pursuant to section 15315 and approve the request of Omar Siddiqui, P.E. for the tentative parcel map to subdivide one parcel at 116 West Lockford Street into two parcels subject to the conditions outlined in the draft resolution.

We have a motion. Do we have a second?

I'll second.

Could we please take the vote?

Commissioner Diehl? Yes. Commissioner Eddy? Yes. Vice Chair Singh?

Yes.

Chair Hicks? Yes. Commissioner Whale?

Yes.

Commissioner McNichol? Yes. Passes 6-0.

Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. We're going to move on to planning matters and follow up items.

Yes, one I wanted to mention we'd like to welcome back our assistant city attorney who is with us again tonight And we're super excited to have Janelle back with us And the other I guess this would fall more under announcements wanted to acknowledge that This is last meeting for Commissioner Eddie So there will be a vacant spot opening if you know anyone who's looking to apply and And let's see, upcoming agendas. We are likely not going to have any meetings until August 12th. Neither for Planning Commission or SPARC will likely both be on August 12th. And those will likely include, we have the annexation of the West Side area coming up. um we refer to it lovingly as the uh f shaped area so that will likely be uh that evening um we're hoping we have a couple things we need to wrap up um that is also tied together with our phase four code amendments so we have some uh revisions to kind of finalize in those so we're hoping we can get those all wrapped up for that evening uh we also have uh The electronic signs which you had approved the development agreement, I think, several months ago that will be coming down the pipeline for both spark review, and then for planning commission for a use permit, and those are on the three city on sites for electronic signs. And then August twelfth will likely also have a new quick quack project coming in August twelfth. So August 12th, if we can get all those lined up, should be a busy night.

Thank you. I know there weren't any other SPARC meetings.

We've had no SPARC meeting.

We'll miss you. Thank you for serving. Good luck in all the other stuff that you're going to be doing. And I think with that, we'll adjourn the meeting.