Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

Okay. Good evening and welcome to the Planning Commission meeting of the City of Moreno Valley. I now call this meeting to order on September 10th, 2026 at exactly 6.01 p.m. I invite Commissioner Taylor to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Right hand over your heart, I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you. Okay, can we have a roll call, please?

Commissioner Zaitz?

Present.

Commissioner Taylor? Present. Commissioner Steffen? Present. Vice Chairperson Baker?

Here.

Chairperson DeGeneres?

Present. All right. Well, now moving to the approval of the agenda, may I have a motion and a second on the approval of the agenda?

So moved.

I'll second.

Okay. I have a motion and a second.

Commissioner Zaitz, are you having trouble voting?

All right, the motion carries. Okay, before we move into public comments this evening, I ask and encourage everyone participating to keep their comments respectful towards others, especially towards individuals speaking. I embrace and support the First Amendment right to free speech, including everyone's right to speak at this meeting and share their views about issues concerning our city. Any person wishing to speak either under the public comment section of the agenda, scheduled items, or public hearings must fill out a request to speak form available at the door. The completed form must be submitted to the secretary prior to the end of the public comment period. During the public comment period for each item, including items not on the agenda, each member of the public who has signed up to speak will have a maximum of three minutes to speak. The public must direct their comments to the chairperson of the commission. Now. Mayor?

Yes. I believe Commissioner Steffen wanted to make a statement first before public comment. Oh, okay, I thought you would. Yeah, why not?

I just got to go on.

I just wanted to say, after seeing the council meeting, I did not intend to comment, and I realize that my words may have landed wrong. My intention was not to imply to put public safety over traffic tickets. Our children and residents are paramount, should never be at risk of harm including bicyclists. I apologize to those who I might have offended. Again, it was not my preview to even comment on a subject that I have no professional knowledge.

Thank you. All right, now we'll move into the public comment on any item that's not on the agenda. Are there any speakers for items that are not on the agenda?

Yes, Chair. We presently have one speaker card, Morgan Valle.

Hello. I actually was coming up to address the comments that were made at that August 13th meeting. So thank you. I appreciate you making that statement because this is the Planning Commission. We really should be staying on things that are under the purview of the Planning Commission. And when we even just asking the question of like, can we change the signs? What that... The message that that communicates is that cars are the most important thing and public safety is not. Because I know for me to get to work, I have to bike through several school zones. There's no way, the way that the city is laid out, there's no way to get through the city without going through a school zone. So when we're saying, well, can we change the parking signs and can we put, you know, that they can park certain times? No, because I don't get to choose when I go to work. I have to be at work at a certain time, and I have to go through those school zones. So when we're trying to prioritize just the people in cars, we're doing harm to the people who either don't drive, can't drive, or the kids whose parents are working overnight can't take them to school. So we really do need to be careful about how we are presenting ourselves and how we're talking about those issues because our kids' safety should absolutely be the priority. We have a huge issue with absenteeism, and a lot of that is kids can't get to school. They have a hard time getting to school safely because we don't have good enforcement. We don't have safe routes for them to get to school. So we should absolutely be asking our police to do more enforcement. We can partner with the school district to try and get better routes to school, try and find ways, making it more clear. This is where you can line up here. You cannot park. But our traffic engineering team and by all means, go to the traffic commission meetings. They're fantastic. Our traffic engineers have done such a good job with trying to make our city more equitable for everyone. including kids who can't drive, who are on bikes, who are walking. So thank you. I appreciate you addressing it, and I look forward to us making changes that are beneficial to everyone in our community, not just the people that are driving. Thank you.

Thank you. The next item on the agenda is approval of the consent calendar.

I'm sorry, Chair. We do have another speaker card. Yes, sir. Okay. Our next speaker is Luis Palomares. I thought you said one. At the time, it was one. Okay.

Hello, Luis Palomares, community activist. Wow. It was an action PAC meeting at the council the other day, the study session, I mean. And it was about all the different things that are going on with the data centers. We don't need them. We don't want them. And Mayor Cabrera, he said what he needed to say. Councilwoman Baca and Shay made the, Bernard made the, you know, let's take it forward. Let's look at it. Let's band it. Let's put our moratorium. So that's great. I'm all glad about that. So that was a good turnout, and they're going to have more meetings about it, so we'll learn a lot more about it. And on another note, wow, you know, A lot of people are talking about a lot of things the mayor is just failing us in. The $2 million over lawsuit is going to federal court now. We're going to, I believe, identify him there. I believe the city is going to pay for that one also. And if we lose, we're going to lose another couple of million. This is what this mayor has brought to our city. And we got that museum over there. How many millions have went into that museum at the mall? Really? And also the libraries. This library up there in the second district, still not open. It's been a couple of years. How much money's gone into that? Again, the dog park. Hey, I'm all about bring that dog park. But the park's been closed for about a year now. And he failed us there, too. As far as our roads, you know, we need a lot more. I'm all about it. The bike lanes. My kids do bikes, too. So, you know, we need a lot more open space bike lanes. I give the lady. commend her for what she does here in the community because you know it's only so many of us and she takes on that issue and and i'm glad they do so it's a good thing so hopefully with the two million plus dollars we could have opened up a lot more bike lanes and put them wherever we need them in the city because they're vital especially you know with those e-bikes oh wow it's it's scary you know so uh i even tell my my grandkids that are driving now they're in their early 20s Drive the speed limit and always watch out for the e-bikes because they just go and they don't even, they just come out of nowhere. So just be careful out there because they're driving like, we didn't have to deal with this stuff in the back, you know, not that long ago. But here it is and wow. We're trying to get the issues resolved. And the schools, you know, I know at Canyon Springs, they go in there. The parents don't park on the top. They go in there. And that's great. And I think Valley View should open it like that so the parents could go through. It's like they almost shut it down. They make it so hard for our parents. And I know at Vista del Lago, there's a lot of parents go in there and they pick up their students. And the school district has to play their role and help out with that. Because these are our kids. These are our tomorrows. I mean, nothing's more precious than our kids. And also, I'm an activist for the kids in the community. We do a lot of things. We brought the Canyon Springs. Oh, here we go.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Bob Palomares.

Good evening, Commissioners. I was hearing about, you know, the people getting tickets at the schools, and I've seen it, and I wonder if the people that, you know, come and speak on the bikes and all that, which is good, if they've ever requested or if there's ever been a study session... Or if they've ever had a meeting with city officials, the sheriff's department, and the school district all together. So everybody's on the same page. We know what, because I hear it at the council meetings about, you know, this and that, but it's not everyone combined. You know, I've never heard of them having a meeting or a study session because I see the kids on those little e-bikes and they're on the sidewalks. They ain't using no bike lanes. And, you know, that's pretty risky. And because, you know, everybody has to be safe. Even the people that are driving, you know, their cars and somebody's on a bike lane and, you know, some kids, they do wheelies on them and turns from side to side. And, you know, you're putting the motorists at risk also. But I think to get more answers to all these problems, problems that people keep bringing up is have a meeting. Get together with the sheriff's department, like I said, city officials, city manager, and the school district and put everything on the table and let's talk about what the biggest concerns are and what we can do about it. Because after all, the school district is the one that builds the schools and makes it where the parents just want to get their kids to school. They're not intentionally doing something illegal. They think, oh, there's nobody around. You know, let me pull up and drop them off. But the sheriff's got their job to do. So until they all get together and iron it out, you're going to have these problems. Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Fred Van Wiles.

Well, hello, everyone. I'm a B-bike rider, so I thought I'd come and put some comments on here. I ran into the superintendent from Reno Valley Unified School District at an event that they had at what's the school here, Vista del Lago. So we talked about it, and I think the city is doing something. If somebody knows a date, they're going to have an e-bike safety course where everybody's going to be there. So that's going to be a good meeting for people to discuss things. And I hope they have representatives from the school board, both Val Verde and Reno Valley Unified. I had some parents reach out to me because they know me as the bike guy type now, and they want to clear up some issues in Val Verde. There's a couple of schools over there, Lakeside and Sierra Vista, that are bad. But I'm hoping that the city will have representatives there at that eSafety, and I think they will, and that's where things will get addressed. That's it, guys. Thank you.

Thank you. Do we have any other speakers?

We have no more speaker cards, sir.

All right. Okay, the next item on the agenda is the approval of the consent calendar. All items on the consent calendar are considered to be routine and non-controversial and may be enacted by a motion unless a member of the commission requests that the item be removed for separate action. Items withdrawn for report or discussion will be heard before action of the consent calendar. Questions or comments from the public on the consent calendar matter must pertain to the subject under consideration. At this time, would a commissioner like to pull an item from the consent calendar for a separate vote? No, I don't think we do either. All right. Do we have any public comments for items on the consent calendar?

We have no speaker cards.

I have a motion and a second for the. I'll move. Okay. Second. Okay, we have a motion and a second. Okay, and the motion does carry. The next item is non-public hearing items, and we don't have any non-public hearing items. So that moves us right to the public hearing items, which is going to be item number one, which is a plot plan, PEN 250144. Do we have a staff report?

Thank you, Chair DeGeneres and members of the Planning Commission. At this time, I'd like to introduce Grace Espino Salcedo, who is the project planner for this item and will be giving tonight's staff report.

Good evening, Chairman and members of the Planning Commission. Grace Espino Salcedo, Associate Planner. The project before you this evening is a request for consideration of a plot plan to allow the construction of an approximately 40,000 square foot commercial retail building for a grocery store, Northgate Market, including associated parking, landscape, on-site and off-site improvements. The proposed project is located on a vacant, unimproved 4.31-acre parcel south of Alessandro Boulevard at the northeast corner of Paris Boulevard and Brodea Avenue. The site is located in the Corridor Mixed-Use Zoning District, or COMMU. A grocery store classified as retail sales is a permitted use by right in the COMMU district, subject to the approval of the plot plan. The plot plan will ensure that the retail building is architecturally and aesthetically compatible with the surrounding environment and that it complies with all applicable development and design standards set forth in the municipal code. Surrounding land uses include commercial retail uses to the north and west, established retail uses to the south, and a vacant unimproved lot within the commune zoning district to the east. The project site will be accessed via two full access driveways and one right turn only driveway designed for truck use. A signalized full access driveway is proposed near the center of the project site along Paris Boulevard. A second driveway along Paris is proposed near the northern boundary of the project site and would provide right turn only egress for trucks. A second full access driveway is proposed at the southern end of the project site along Bordeaux Avenue. Pedestrian circulation and connectivity is provided through a network of sidewalks on both street frontages and internal walkways, including clearly marked ADA compliant pathways. The proposed project provides a total of 198 vehicular parking spaces, including eight accessible parking spaces and 10 EV charging stalls. The project as designed satisfies and exceeds the city's parking requirements and has been designed to provide safe efficient and organized circulation for both vehicles and pedestrians. The project proposes construction of a six-foot tall decorative masonry wall along the easterly property line, a roofed trash enclosure to match the proposed building, a screened trash compactor, and a single loading dock at the rear of the proposed building. In compliance with the City's Municipal Code regarding shopping cart containment, the proposed project will include four cart corrals throughout the parking lot. Offsite improvements to support the proposed use include improvements to the adjacent roadways, the addition of a median on Paris Boulevard, removal of an existing power pool along Paris Boulevard, undergrounded utilities, installation of new water lines, sidewalks, streetlights, and curb and gutter along Paris Boulevard and Brodea Avenue. And lastly, the installation of a bus turnaround, a bus turnout for the existing bus stop along the project's frontage on Paris Boulevard. The applicant will be required to submit a security plan for city review and approval to help ensure the safety of customers and employees at the site. The proposed project features an architectural style modeled after classic California Mission Revival. The building incorporates a combination of materials, including a white plaster exterior finish, decorative Spanish accent mosaic tiles, and clay roof tiles. Visible on the south, east, and west elevations of the proposed Northgate Market are arched openings, curved parapets, layered heavy timber wood pergolas, and large accent landscape pots that add visual interest, resulting in a unified and visually appealing facade. The proposed project as designed meets and exceeds the required design landscape and lighting standards and objectives of the municipal code and satisfies the city's parking requirements. The project includes enhanced landscaping consisting of street trees, shade trees shrubs and drought tolerant landscape site lighting consisting of parking lot security light lighting and exterior building lighting will be provided to ensure the safety and security of customers pedestrians and employees all lighting will be shielded and directed downward to minimize glare and impacts on the surrounding properties. The proposed project complies with section 9.02.070 plot plan of chapter 9.02 permits and approvals of Title IX planning and zoning and all applicable development standards of the zoning code. With the recommended conditions of approval, staff recommends that the Planning Commission Adopt Resolution 2026-23, determining that Plot Plan PEN25-0144 is categorically exempt from the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act CEQA and CEQA Guidelines as a Class 32 exemption in field development projects in accordance with CEQA Guidelines Section 15332. and approving plot plan pen 25-0144, subject to the attached conditions of approval included as Exhibit A of Resolution No. 2026-23 and as shown on the approved plans. I would like to add that to date we have not received any public comments. And this concludes staff's presentation. I'm available for any questions. Present with us tonight is also the applicant and their team. If you have any questions, they're available. They also have a presentation tonight.

Thank you. Are there any commissioner questions for staff? I think everything I can ask but the applicant. No questions for staff?

Okay.

So that means at this time we're gonna open up the public hearing at 6.22 p.m. and we'd like to ask the applicant if they'd like to speak.

Good evening, Chairperson, members of the Planning Commission, and the Moreno Valley family. My name is Michelle Gonzalez, and it is an honor to be here representing Northgate Market, our family, and more than 8,400 associates whom we are proud to call Northgate family. Our Northgate story began with my grandparents, parents, uncles, and aunts who came to the United States with faith, determination, and a dream of creating a better future for their family. Through hard work, sacrifice, and strong commitment to serving others, they opened our first Northgate Market, which began a small family business and has grown into a company that remains proudly family-owned and deeply connected to the communities we serve. We are excited about the opportunity to bring the same commitment to Moreno Valley. For generations, we have provided fresh, authentic food, created local jobs, and given back through scholarships, community events, food distributions, health fairs, school partnership, and holiday celebrations such as Christmas toy giveaways, which is one of my favorites. This store represents much more than a grocery store. It is the opportunity to become part of the Moreno Valley family, create opportunity, for 150 local jobs, support local students, families, and build lasting relationships with residents. The proposed store would include a panaderia, carniceria, tortilleria, freshly made corn and flour tortilla, ceviche station, tamaleria, mesquite taqueria, carnitas, aguas frescas, and guisados. We respectfully ask for the Planning Commission to support this project and help us continue our dream of becoming a 100-year family-owned Company and to continue our American dream.

Thank you for the time and consideration Thank you Are there any Commissioner questions for the applicant?

Where was your first store opened up in Anaheim I knew it off of Anaheim Boulevard Yeah, I grew up in Anaheim. I I thought that was the first market I

I wasn't yet born.

I wasn't either, but I was a little kid when I went to that store. So I was just curious because I knew we had one.

But they do ask, and I said I was born in the family, born at Northgate because my mom was pregnant with me. So ever since then, yes.

Okay, I was just curious. Thank you.

So we have a picture of the proposed Northgate. And here's a little bit of our core values. At Northgate, our goal is to enrich the lives of those around us through our faith in God and our deep passion for authentic Mexican food and vibrant mercado experience. It gives us purpose and is key to our success. We'd be nowhere without our guiding principles, unity, humanity, efficient work, accountability, trust, integrity, and honesty. And if you could.

My question is more for... Every great story begins with family. For the Gonzalez family, that story starts in Alostotitlan, Jalisco, a place rooted in faith, hard work, and the belief that together, anything is possible. In the 1950s and 60s, Don Miguel Gonzalez was a proud shoe merchant in Mexico. But after a devastating factory fire and mounting financial hardship, the family made a brave choice, a leap of faith that would change their future forever. Don Miguel brought two of his youngest sons to the United States to rebuild their lives. Doña Teresa stayed behind, raising the rest of their nine children. resilience, resolve, faith. These values became the foundation of everything that came next. In 1980, with the family reunited, they took a courageous leap of faith and converted a small liquor store in Anaheim into a grocery market. They couldn't even afford a new sign, so the name Northgate stayed. One store, 13 siblings, no employees, only family. From that humble beginning, a dream began to grow one store at a time. Today, Northgate Gonzalez Market operates 45 stores across Southern California, employing more than 8,000 associates and serving hundreds of thousands of customers every week. But the true success of Northgate, it's not just in the business growth, it's in the impact on people. Every new Northgate Market Bring something powerful to a neighborhood. More than 250 new jobs. Access to fresh, authentic Mexican foods. Ingredients sourced from Mexico, prepared with tradition. And a shopping experience that feels like home. Warm, welcome, and treated with respect. For more than 45 years, the Gonzalez family has believed that success means giving back. When Northgate Market opens a new store, it partners with clinics, hospitals, schools, and non-profits to provide mammograms, flu clinics, chronic illness screenings, nutrition classes, and healthy cooking demos. Through the Gonzalez Reynoso Family Foundation, students across Southern California receive scholarships and support to pursue their dreams. And every year, Northgate Market helps thousands of families through food distributions, 5K races, and its beloved Santa toy drive, now nearly 30 years strong. Because at Northgate Gonzalez Market, faith, education, and wellness aren't just corporate pillars, they are a promise. As a proudly family-owned business now led by second and third generation brothers and sisters, Northgate Gonzalez Market continues to grow, expanding into new neighborhoods, creating new opportunities, and uplifting the communities we call home. From one small store to a legacy of service, from a family dream to a force for good, Northgate Gonzalez Market is more than a grocery store. It's a community partner, a place of culture, and a gateway to opportunity. Northgate Gonzales Market, proudly serving our communities yesterday, today, and for generations to come.

I think my question is more for the architect on this.

Hi, good afternoon. My name is Swanee Butter.

I'm with AO Architects. I know you're probably not this far along in this, but you may be. I know when you get these large projects, you pretty much know how your buildings are going to be done. I know the city of Marino Valley has a percentage of solar that's only allowed to be put on these buildings. And it's my understanding that you are going to max that out. Is that correct?

Yes, that is correct. Currently, the project would be going in, will be definitely solar, not only solar ready, but we'll have the infrastructure and we'll maximize the amount of solar that's required for the project.

Reminds just a simple question, and I think you just answered, but I just want to clarify, is since they are roof mounted and whatnot, structurally wise, say the laws change in the city and you're allowed to do the whole roof solar. Is that building going to be okay to handle that stress load?

Yes. You know, we are in the process of Well, our engineer has designed for the capacity of what will be required. Structurally, though, definitely, you know, we're working with the contractor to, or subcontractor rather, just to make sure that the system that we are anticipating to put in this project, you know, is not going to provide any additional stress on the structure itself.

Well, yeah, I understand you have to do that. But I'm just saying, like future, if we come up with and say, okay, now you're allowed to do 75% solar. And I can't make you do this, but I think it would be a good idea, being a contractor myself, that it be structurally built and beneficial to you guys that the structure could handle that increase of solar. And I was just kind of asking if that can be done. I know I can't. tell you to get it done, but I think it might be beneficial in the future for you guys.

Yes, definitely. I mean, we have taken that into account, and our structural engineer has account for that as well.

Thank you. Thank you. My curiosity was the orientation of the store. Am I looking at this correct, where the store frontage will be facing Brodea rather than Paris?

Yes, that is correct. So it will be facing the main entries facing the parking lot, which is facing south to south to Rodea.

And I was just kind of curious of, you know, what the reason behind facing the houses versus the main street.

I mean, we have not ignored the Main Street being Paris, even though it is not the main entry to the store. We have designed the facade in such a way that some of those features that indicate the main entry, even though it does face Rodea, we've also created elements that face Paris as well. It's just a matter of functionality. Usually, you want to arrive on the site park your car, don't go back out to the main street and into the store. You want to make sure that you access the store from the parking lot.

I see. And my thought process then would be that I can see that there's interest in regress on Paris Boulevard, but with the store frontage, would it, I guess it would attract more people to enter and exit on Brodea.

So, so this is Paul. I'm senior vice president of development for Northgate markets. We've been working on this site for quite some time and we had multiple orientations. The 1st, being with the store actually. on brodea and so what we what our focus was is to move the store further away from the residents the existing residents off of brodea and more importantly shielding them from our loading areas which was the the primary focus of the store our store is going to be the storefront i think is definitely more visually inviting than the rear of our store And so that was how we came up with the orientation to best serve the overall community and existing residents.

The landscaping design, is there going to be any type of buffer between the parking lot and the residents on Bordea?

Um, yeah, uh, yes. As, uh, uh, the conditions that will be attached to the permit, which I believe there's 121 conditions from the city to our project. Uh, one of those is basically, uh, screening. Um, so you have brown on grade screening of, uh, three feet. Um, and then you have natural, uh, shade trees, uh, obviously shielding the upper elements of our building and the lighting fixtures.

Hours of operation?

Our hours of operation, generally it's 7 to 10 o'clock.

And the hours of operation for, well, I like the orientation where the trucks, so where the trucks, they will only enter and exit on Paris. That's what it looks like.

That is the primary objective of adding the signal there to allow truck access, multiple truck accesses, but that's going to be the primary access point for trucks into the center.

And I believe the signal light is... where they're projected to have the cars come in off of paris correct correct okay all right when you're when you're headed what is that south on paris i see yes to have a dedicated left-hand turn okay and i see the bus turn in there okay i didn't have anything else No.

Well, thank you. Appreciate your time.

All right. At this time, let's move into public testimony. We'll ask the clerk to call upon each person who has requested to speak. Do we have any speakers?

Yes, Chair. Our first speaker is Olympica Hampton, followed by Fred Banuelos, then followed by Bob Palomares.

Good evening, everyone. I am a Reno Valley resident, homeowner, where this proposed property for we've owned this home for over 20 years. I don't live on Brodea, but I live on Agave. My backyard is directly adjacent to the field that they are planning on. to put this. I am not against the store. I am against the location of it. I don't even understand why a grocery store would be considered in this area where it's set up in front of homes that are on Brodea and then also directly in the back of my home. It just should be other homes there. That is not a place for a supermarket to be. And right behind people's homes. And then on the people and the people on Brodea, that when they're directly in front of the store, what does that do for the home's property values? Because I wouldn't want to, if someone was selling their home, things like that, I wouldn't particularly want to buy a home that would be right in the front of a grocery store. I'm not sure about... If anyone's even been out there, I haven't had anyone come to my home or anything like that to address even any concerns of a big property like this being behind homes. And like I said, we've owned that home for over 20 years and for this establishment to come and just set up almost right in the middle of that place. Also, there is already a Fiesta Market right across the street from that will be in direct competition that has already been servicing that area for over 20 years. There is also a Smart and Final that would be across the street from there as well. There is a car dentist that is two blocks down from there as well. So I'm just confused as to why that was prime real estate. And like I said, my backyard would be directly... I live on the corner of Brodea and Agave. So this would be directly in my backyard. So I'm just not sure if anyone's even kind of have you guys went out there and looked at these homes and the way that they are set up. And that is the interest also to our neighborhood. So I think that this is not... been planned well, I believe that there may be some other places that this place can go, but not there.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Fred Bonillas, followed by Bob Palomares, then followed by Louise Palomares.

Hello everyone. I've lived in Moreno Valley for a few years and I come from Anaheim, Disneyland. I grew up there. I know this market well. I think it would be a great addition to our city. We're striving for something new. And I love it. I've been in the one in Costa Mesa. The only thing I'm upset about, I know I'm not supposed to look at them and talk to them, but I want Ricardo on there. I love the one in Costa Mesa. I don't want to drive to Costa Mesa anymore to go to that one. I want them to do that here. We got a great big Hispanic community, and I would love to see that type of market here. You guys need to one-up everybody in here because I don't want just another Mexican market. I want a place where we can eat. I go down to the Orange County area. They have Tokyo Central. You go into that store, and they have sushi, everything you can eat there. It's great. I go to Bristol Farms in Orange County. I see that. We need Northgate Mercado in here. If you've ever been to the one in Costa Mesa, I don't know if they can change it up now, but that's what I would love to see. It's just a great addition. Again, we got the community for it. I'm sure they picked this spot because of our Hispanic community. I love this thing. I talked to... Miguel Ramirez in Costa Mesa. We had a good couple of conversations and I went there a few months and talked to him and I said, I want the Mercado here, man. I want that. You guys got to do that. I understand how people are concerned because it's by their houses, but how long has that field been there? 10 years, 20 years, nothing? It's time to develop something there. We're always wanting to bring something new to our city, and that would be a great addition. Bring in a lot of people, then I can have my family drive here from Orange County instead of going to Costa Mesa. We need something here. This is it, and I hope that can be changed up a little bit. And the things they do for the community, you saw that in their presentation. It's a win-win situation, and I want to see it here in our city. Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Bob Palomares, followed by Luis Palomares.

Good evening again. These markets are wonderful. They're beautiful. There's one, you know, I frequent Fontana, and there's one that's not over two years old that's on Sierra, and I believe it's Randall. Now, if you had an aerial view of it right now of this location I'm talking about, It's very similar to what they're talking about, the developers, the people that want to put this up, very similar. There's homes right by, and they don't have their main entrance on Sierra because it's heavy traffic. So they made it in a way where if somebody's trying to get in, it doesn't stop the traffic, you know, so they know what they're doing. And... Looking at their presentation, that's the American dream. You know, what the grandfather, I'm going to say the grandfather, envisioned and what he did, you know, through hard work. And it just keeps going. You know, it's a never-ending dream. So as far as I'm concerned... Like Fred was saying, I mean, he did mention the food, but I went in the one in Fontana, and it's amazing. You go in there and you like food, you're going to be there a while. So I love this thing. Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker is Louise Palmares.

Wow. What's going on here? This fell off, I guess. Start the clock over, please. Luis Palomares, community activist. Wow. I believe that staff, this has been in the pipeline for the longest time, and I give the kudos and the hats off to staff because they've been working on this way back when. It's been there coming. So as far as I believe Mike Lee and Victoria Baca way back, long time ago, they wanted to bring it over here on the, I believe, on the north side of the freeway where the Strauss is. Trader Joe's didn't want to come, so they put the Strauss, but I believe they were shooting for this market there. But it didn't happen, so I guess they moved the location. It's a great project, I believe, and it'd be so great if we get something on the east end, because we need something over there. There's nothing over there. You know, everybody that goes to the Banning, Beaumont, at Santa Cinto, they would stop there, take a break, eat, and get their stuff and go home. So it would do good for our city here. And as far as Golly, golly, golly, golly. I have no tune. I forgot where I was at. Anyway, so hopefully we get it here. And as far as where it's at, well, I just wish it would be over there in the East End. I know the mayor gave a big old infomercial and was already taking photo ops. Because, you know, it's a campaign, and he has to put himself all over the map with it. And I don't even think the ink was wet yet. It hadn't even came to the planning yet. It hasn't even went to the console, and he was already taking all these photo ops. So he can get all the glory and, you know, his infomercial. So... You know, come on, be a little more ethical than that. You know, you're trying to fool the people, but you can't fool them all the time, Mayor Cabrera. So, you know, I support it, and hopefully, let's see what happens, and hopefully we can get one on the other end of the city, because I think we would have the people that would go there on that east end, and we can afford to have two. Stater Brothers, we've got about four of them here. So this would be great on the East End. That way they don't have to travel all the way back this way to go. And I know that they're going to get a lot of Paris. People from Paris are going to come and spend their money too. So that's great too. So it would be great sooner than later to bring one to the East End. Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Roy Blecker.

I hope the Planning Commission enthusiastically approves this project with a 5-0 vote and three cheers. It's about time. And I'm not against big or corporate businesses or stuff, but this community was built on the small business owner. Far too long we have run them out of this community. Finally, we have a company, an entity, small businesses wanting to invest in Marina Valley. We should be rolling out the red carpet, paving them a road in gold with platinum sidewalks lined by diamonds. We should be encouraging that type of business, those type of people to come into our community if you want this to be a successful community. There's a lot of plans and stuff and all the rules and stupid regulations and all the trips that go on that make it almost impossible for the small business owner to come into a community like Moreno Valley. You guys should be on top of this and you should be here. You should be here at the next city council meeting and screw that stupid recommendation for you not to say anything because you know darn well that was a shut Pete Blecker to act up. You should be at this council meeting and you should be putting the proposals in to reform this to make it much more easier to bring businesses like this into this community. We want... We want folks like are making this proposal to come to Moreno Valley. That will make us the community I once knew, I grew up in, my native land, that I see far too long in the rear view mirror. I don't recognize what I used to know. And the reason I say this is I want the same opportunity for future generations to have the opportunity I had and my generation had way back in the day. So again, I hope you'll pass this project with a resounding yes, and I hope you will stand up for this community further, as you should. Let's get it done.

Thank you. Would the applicant like to address any

Opportunity and we hope.

Microphone. There we go.

Thank you for the opportunity. We hope to be part of the Moreno Valley family. We look forward to it for many years. As they say, we've been working on this project and hopefully it gets done soon.

Thank you. All right. Are there any other speakers?

We have no more cards, sir.

All right. At this time, there's no more speakers for public testimony. Let's close the public testimony at 6.50 p.m. and move into deliberations.

I think it's a good project. It's what the city needs. This area, I can't call it a city because it was back in the early 1900s, was founded on family markets, selling hay, watermelon, whatever else. People used to come from miles around and come shop here, and this is hopefully what will come in with this. I do like the one speaker's idea of having a restaurant style inside. We need more places like that. We need more places for people to come and eat and not go out of town to do that kind of stuff. Everybody always asks, where's the eat? Well, over in Riverside, we need more here, and we need more of the smaller businesses. And I can also understand what the one person that they don't want it in their backyard, but unfortunately... With the way that zonings were set up and everything, that's what can go there. So nobody wants it in their backyard, but it needs to be someplace, and I don't mean to be... Difficult about that part of it, but we do need the supermarkets. And again, another speaker spoke East End. I'd love to see something like that on the East End. We have so much out there and we have, I think, two grocery stores and one of them is Walmart on the very east end of this town. I'd love something like that to go in out there. That way people would... see our end of the town in the more rural areas. But yeah, I think it's a really good project and I'm hoping that they could work in the restaurant part of it also. Thank you.

Then I will have to back open up the public testimony. So that's fine. We can reopen the public testimony at this time.

Right, yeah, I don't know. I don't know.

I'll ask you about that because he's already commented. Can we go back into public testimony?

Yeah, that's what the prevailing, if that's what the chair wants to do, yes.

No, I'd like to hear from him, so I'll reopen the public testimony.

I just suggest that you give Commissioner Zaitz another opportunity to respond or comment afterwards.

Absolutely. All right. So we'll open up the public testimony at 6.53 p.m. for the applicant to have some comments.

So just to formally address your concerns and some of the concerns of the audience. So with regard, I guess, to the first concern of being in. Please address your comments to the chair. Being or I guess having our store. Can you speak into the mic? Having our store adjacent. Lift the mic up. excuse me so having our store adjacent to the homes in agave there there is going to be uh quite a bit of land buffer that is currently owned by jeff carter and i believe he has a separate project in for that uh vacant piece of property that will be between our project and uh the residents that live off agave i i know originally as i mentioned our orientation of our store and that was part of our consideration of changing our format. We originally were looking at going all the way parallel with Brodea from Paris going back to the wall of the residence on Agave, and that was the only way To fit the project, um, or fit our prop our property into that lot. And so what we ended up doing was flipping the entire orientation to allow a buffer. Um, of those residents, and then also create a buffer for our loading. And so we. We highly considered all the aspects of the site and the local residents and tried to Do our best to accommodate everyone with regard to the prepared food offering at this site it is going to be more robust than what the gentleman mentioned in Fontana as one of the public commenters mentioned our site our Our Mercado site in Costa Mesa, that site opened up a number of years ago, and we've had a number of learnings since then. And what we're going to be doing is incorporating a lot of those learnings on the prepared foods, as well as what we do on our tortilla re-offering and all the other departments that Michelle mentioned earlier. A lot of those are going to be focused on prepared offerings in the store to allow the community a great place to come in and get dinner without cooking. And for that matter, breakfast and lunch. So we did consider that. So those are some of the concerns. Any other questions that I should address?

No, I don't believe so. And since the public testimony is open, I believe you got another speaker card.

Yes, chair. Um, we have a speaker car for, excuse me, Chetan Odom.

Um, commissioner, uh, commissioners, um, actually, um, you know, I, I, do agree that we need more mom and pop stores. I know they have 45, but based on what they shared, it looks like it's a family owned business and I think we need more of that. Last night I was able to go to the city council and express my concerns about the in June that you guys They declined having the three-story storage facility, but they overturned it at the city council meeting. I was very disappointed. And I was at both meetings to see that was a shock. And then I found out that, of course, zoning does change. You can change, I guess you can change it when you want to. But I wanted to talk about this general I'm still on topic because it's about the 2040 general plan that we have I just want to make sure that we don't keep approving projects one at a time and checking whether and to check whether each of them meets the technical requirements because at that meeting they did check all the boxes But we need to make sure that we are building what we're looking back at. When we look back or look forward 15, 20 years from now, is this what the 2040 plan says? And so I just want to make sure that we are doing that. And the mayor... on Tuesday talked about you know economics and I know that's important but not all good money is good money okay and so I just want to make sure that I express that economic development must be measured not only by revenue but by what it costs like air quality and we know it's terrible here both all three of my kids have asthma here infrastructure and opportunities. And I'm glad that they're able. This business is talking about bringing jobs. And then, of course, the quality of life. As you know, 20 miles away, we have a blue zone. This is not it. And I know that it directly is impacted by by what we do here and what decisions that we make. So basically what I want to say is that the work that you guys do is so important. We are working. I'm sure you guys have jobs as well, but we rely on you to do the studies, to do the research, because our city, you guys have a plan. Sir, you said that you were on the plan and you were there when they created the 2040 plan. So every time you guys make a decision, it's not just one decision. one thing is everything in totality isn't measuring up to the vision of the 2040. And that's what we want to hold you guys accountable for. So thank you so much.

Thank you. Do we have any other speakers?

I have no more speaker cards.

Because another speaker came up, it just give the applicant another opportunity to speak if they wish.

We have a lot of other grocery stores in the community. And one thing that we've strived ourselves and one of the pillars is innovation of our company. And that's really what was the genesis behind our store in Costa Mesa in trying to develop a grocery store that was different. and offered things to the community that really the community needed, but wasn't necessarily provided by your vanilla style grocery store. And so as you'll see in our format, we'll have more prepared foods, but the offering and the quality of the food is going to be at a different level than what's offered. by a lot of the competition around us. And so we look forward to your proposed approval, and we look forward to being a fixture in the community, providing only things that benefit the community, and we'll strive our hardest to make that a reality at this project. So we thank you for your time and the opportunity to be part of the fabric of Moreno Valley. Thank you.

Thank you. Do we have any other speakers?

I have no more cards, sir.

Okay. At this time, since there's no other speakers, we'll close the public testimony at 7.01 p.m. and move into deliberations.

I think it's a wonderful project. I think it's going to be an asset to the community. Like I said, I come from Anaheim. I know that little store. I went into that little store as a child. My grandmother, I believe, knew Mrs. Gonzalez. And so they've come a long, long way. And I can say that they've just gone... and got better and better and better. My kids that don't even know this, and I'll probably tell them when I get home, because I wasn't really sure that the original store actually started in Anaheim. My one child that has gone everywhere because he works in construction, he's an electrician, and he said, oh, mom, they got the best this, they got the best that, you can go in there, you can eat this, that, and everything. And I'm like, oh, my goodness. And so I just think that it's something that the community needs. We haven't had anything that is really of this caliber in a long, long time. It kind of gives us hope because I know that the foods that are made there are actually upper class, top-notch, It's not just your ordinary Mexican store that you go in and, you know, you get a few, like they call them, antojos, which are just things that you actually just maybe want to eat. So I'm all for it, and I'm elated, and I can't wait for it to go up. I hope it goes up soon. I hope... that they can maybe minimize all the procedures that need to happen for it to go in, because I know a lot of people are really anticipating this. I got a lot of calls and emails about it, and they were all positive. So I'm voting for it.

I think it's a great project. It's kind of down on my end of town, so I'm looking forward to it. Small business competition is good. I like it. And people willing to invest in Moreno Valley is a plus. Economic boom as far as I care. So I like it. I'm going to vote for it. And more power to you. Anything I can do to help you out, appreciate it.

I think it's a great project as well. I think what sold me also is what you do for the community during those hard times like during Christmas. The economy is really finicky right now and the community needs a business that can step in and help the schools and the kids. And I think that's kind of what really sold me to the project. Also, I hope you guys get on Instacart because I don't like grocery shopping. I like doing it from my phone. So I would love to order some tortillas from my iPhone. So maybe that's a new idea. Get on Instacart. But I think it's a great project.

Before I go into my thoughts about a great project or... I just want to reiterate and just I say this again. Marina Valley, again, I've been here since 1969, and I remember all the empty fields. And... Fortunately, I was able to look at a zoning map prior to purchasing now my third home in Marina Valley. And I knew that I did not want to purchase a home next to a commercial zone. Unfortunately for folks, you have to understand that... Those empty fields are zoned. They are zoned for something. I wish it was zoned for housing, but it is not. And what will happen, and it is... Commercial mixed use is eventually going to run right up to houses somewhere because there's zoning for commercial, there's zoning for mixed use, and there's zoning for homes. They're empty fields, and that field is zoned for, I want to say it's commercial mixed use, which means that that grocery store can go there. Grocery store, great. There could be other commercial buildings that can go there, and it's going to be right butted up next to the homes, the backyards or on Agave. You know, if we think about some of the things in Moreno Valley that we've had, I would say protest about that could go there. I'm pretty happy a grocery store is going there. It's going to be a family orientated neighborhood grocery store that people are going to be able to walk right out and go into that grocery store. So it's going to be fantastic. And what I'm hearing about in my research, what I've done about is like, not only can you go there, you can go there and get something to eat. That's, that's fantastic. Um, And, again, it is a little bit different than the variety of the grocery stores that we have here in Moreno Valley. So it gives exactly what people are looking for, a little more variety. It's going to attract more folks. And with that being said, it's going to generate tax revenue basis for our city. Okay. Again, houses cannot go there because that zone is not zoned for homes. It's not zoned for a park or a zone for a lake. It is zoned for mixed commercial use. So that's what has to go there unless, you know, there were some changes zoning. I LIKE THE PROJECT. I DUG INTO THE PROJECTS LIKE WE ALWAYS DO AND LOOK FOR ANY TYPE OF INCONSISTENCIES WITH OUR GENERAL PLAN OR SAFETY AND THAT SORT OF THING. I REALLY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING. AND SO DO WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR THE PROJECT?

I'LL MAKE THE MOTION.

I make a motion to adopt resolution 2026-23, determining that the plot plan PEN250144 is categorically exempt from the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act CEQA and CEQA guidelines as a class 32 exemption. in full development projects in accordance with the CEQA guidelines section 15332 and approving plan PEN25-011 subject to the attached conditions of approval included as exhibit A of resolution number 2026-23 and as shown on the approved plans.

I'll second that. Okay. Can we have a vote?

Okay, and the motion does carry. Do we have a staff wrap-up?

Thank you, Chair Desjardins. Please let the record show that the motion passes with a vote of 5-0. The Planning Commission's decision is final unless an appeal is filed with the Community Development Director during the 10-day appeal period outlined in the Municipal Code. Thank you.

Thank you. um the next item on the agenda is other uh commissioner business and we have no other commission of business uh the next the next i don't believe we can that would be yeah a point of order request that's your decision to make as a presiding officer Well, I'm going to continue on with this agenda here. No, all right. All right, the next item on the agenda is staff comments. Do we have any staff comments?

Yes, Chair DeGeneres. On Tuesday, the City Council held a workshop related to data centers and how the city should treat them. I just wanted to let the Planning Commission know that the presentation from Tuesday is available on the city's website under the council agenda items. So if anyone in the community or the Planning Commission is interested, that presentation is available for viewing. Thanks.

Okay. The next item of the agenda is planning commissioner comment.

Chair, I'm so sorry. Angelica Frost, Lufa Community Development Director. I did want to mention the public commenter earlier mentioned an e-safety workshop. It is scheduled for Tuesday, September 16th from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Conference and Recreation Center. September 16th? Yes, so that's coming up this coming week. Additionally, on Tuesday, September 15th, the city is hosting a special event called El Grito, and there will be entertainment, live entertainment, and I believe some food vendors, so the community is invited to come out to that as well. Okay.

Do we have any commissioner comments? All right, so at this time, the plan and commission meeting is adjourned at 7.10 p.m. to our next regular meeting at September 24th, 26, at 6 p.m.