Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

Yeah, blends lands perfect. City of Tap Planning Commission is meeting at regularly scheduled time, Wednesday, June 4th, 2025 at 5:00. The city of task planning commission meetings are being held in person with full capacity seating and are livereamed at https colonwww.youtube.com user/c city oft public comments can be made in person and also can be received per the following written comments may be dropped off in the dropbox in front of city hall. Comments may be emailed to the city clerk at cityof clerk city oftaf.org. They may be made by phone to city clerk's office at 661-7631222. Public comments not made in person will be accepted up until one hour before the meeting. Any comments received will be read into the record. U we will have the pledge of allegiance followed by the invocation by pastor Bella Black. Um you mean going to come scout uh practice turns out really well. Oh, you're going to do it then? Yeah. So 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. Let us pray. Father, we love you and we thank you. We thank you for your mercy and your grace. I pray for this planning commission as they come together to work. Father, I pray God that you would bless them. Give them your wisdom and the and your guidance. Keep your hand upon them and bless them. And I pray a

special blessing over Mark and the next things that you have for him. Be glorified I pray in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Thank you. Okay. Can we have the roll call? And they got your good side too. You're good. Sorry. Thanks. I didn't see you get up or I would have waited. All right. Okay. Chairman Livingston present. Vice Chairman Ch. Yes. Commissioner Dowen here. Commissioner Johnson here. Commissioner Orin is absent. Okay. I see that there are no citizens request for public comments. So we will move on from item one to item two, the minutes of our special meeting on May 7th, 2025. Do I have a motion? Motion. Second. All those in favor? Uh we'll need a roll call vote. That's right. Sorry. Commissioner Dowen, yes. Commissioner Johnson, yes. Vice Chairman Church, yes. Chairman Livingston, yes. Thank you. Okay, then we're going to move on to item three, which is a public hearing, a conditional use permit number 2025-05, the Taft Apple Markets ABC license. Mark. Uh, thank you, Chairman Livingston. Um, as you mentioned, the item for you tonight is uh condition is use permit 20 255 for an ABC license by Taft Apple Market. Um, they're requesting the approval of a type 20 ABC license for the off sale of beer and wine for consumption off the premises within their store on a 7.47 acre lot within the general commercial zone district at 301 Gardenerfield Road. Tapped Apple Market is located within the former Kmart um store on the south side of Gardenerfield Road, approximately 200 feet east of Highway

119. Um the project was issued a building permit in 2021 with uh final occupancy in 25 uh with opening in May. Um the Apple Market is a small box grocery store offering the full range of items from produce, meat, dairy, pantry items, dry goods, and non-p perishables. The proposed type 20 license is the license type that limits alcohol sales uh at retail locations to just beer and wine only. Consumption of alcohol on the premises is prohibited. The applicant has provided a statement of operations that detail the hours operation, employee training, security measures, store monitoring, and convenience of one-stop shopping at for their customers. The applicant provided a floor plan showing the area of the store that will be dedicated to alcohol sales which is a six-door refrigeration area and a floor display along the north wall of the store. Um, prior Keshu's permit applications for ABC licenses were located in overconentrated areas within the city limits. Um, more in the central area of the city that is and Apple market stores located within an overconentrated area though it may not seem like it in census track 3304 uh for offsale alcohol licenses. um uh because the other item um the area includes unincorporated areas of Kern County. The census tract is mostly a rural area of Kern County with an estimated population of just 3,700 people. However, it has a land area of over 450 square miles in size stretching from Highway 99 and Highway 9 166 to the east um to Larto Highway and Highway 33 to the northwest. basically Mkhitrich. Um the area has been uh approved for just three type 20 or 21 licenses but currently has 11 approved licenses. Uh and I've provided an attached list. The

closest license holder to the Apple market is the recent one you issued to Dollar General last year which less than a mile to the north along Gardenerfield Road. The next closest is the Valley Acres Market nearly 6 milesi away to the northeast. Um there are two licenses issued for markets in Mkhitrich 15 miles to the northwest. Uh four issued to gas stations and markets along Metler Metler frontage road along Highway 99 and one license for the Chevron station at Highway 166 and Interstate 5, which is over 25 miles to the east of the site. Um a city or can county can approve additional licenses above the authorized amount at their discretion. However, cities and counties should take into consideration alcohol and alcohol sales related crimes within their jurisdiction and if additional license in the area will contribute to additional crime in the area or create a public nuisance. Um, I did receive response back from our chief of police that had no issue with issuing this license to this market. Um and as as Apple market is primarily u operations for the sale of groceries and other consumer products and the sale of alcohol is incidental to the sales of the regular items. It is not anticipated that allowing an additional offsale license in the area will significantly impact the city of Taft with regard to additional crime or create a public nuisance. Therefore, staff recommends that the planning commission adopt a resolution approving conditional use permit number 2025-05 to permit Taft Apple Market to acquire type 20 ABC license for the sale of beer and wine for consumption off the premises of the Taft Apple Market at 301 Gardenerfield Road. And this item does qualify as a uh categorical exemption under section 15301 of the SQL guidelines. That concludes my presentation. I'm available for any questions you may have. The owner of Apple Market is here to answer any

questions you may have of him as well. Okay. Um, first of all, do you guys have any questions for Mark? I don't. Okay. In that case, we're going to go ahead and open the public hearing. Right. There's anybody that wishes to speak. No other comments unless you want to speak to the owner of the store. I unless you guys have got some questions for the owner. Yeah. How long did it take you this how long was it for this process to go for you? At what process? Uh to get the to apply for the the the offsale license and ABC. What was your biggest hangup for it? Maybe another three months or more than just a couple months. Okay. And how's your how's your reception currently going on with the the city of Taft? How how are you doing? Okay. Yeah. It's a it's a sometimes bureaucracy can move rather slowly. We're I'm just asking for the the fact if there's anything we could possibly do to help you move along and um I have no negative aspects. I'm just hoping that we could provide some type of positive reinforcement for you. They're real helpful, you know, and they're being helpful all that time with us and we just need customer. Exactly. Yeah. We we appreciate your service. Thanks. Thanks for joining us and and thanks for coming in. Thank you. All right. Any anyone else? No. In that case, we'll close the public hearing and I will accept a motion. I'll make the motion. I'll second it. Well, let her get the whole motion. Oh gosh. Oh, here we go. Motion to adopt a resolution entitled a resolution of the planning commission of the city of Taft approving conditional use permit number 2025-05 to permit Taft apple market to acquire a type 20 ABC offsale license for the sale of beer and wine within a commercial building located on a 747 acre lot within the general

commercial zone district located at 301 Gardenerfield Road number three as well. Okay, the back side. Find that the project is exempt from the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act SQUA as set forth in section 15301 of the SQUA guidelines existing facilities. Okay, now you can second. Second. Okay, we'll have a roll call, please. Commissioner Dad, yes. Commissioner Johnson, yes. Vice Chairman Schirtz. Yes. Chairman Livingston. Yes. Thank you. Thank you guys. Yeah. Thank you and best wish best luck. Thank you. Okay. We're now moving on to item four, which is the director report. I do have a a quick question. Um we you mentioned last night uh the squa document being redone for the oil um permit in Bakersfield. Could you give a little bit of a Yes. So, um, as many of you know, um, the county has been working on a, um, uh, permit streamlining process for oil, new oil and gas, uh, wells and, you know, the compounds they set up at each site. Um, and it's been going on since the initial approval, I want to say was either something like 2018, and this is revision two, I guess you could say. They did one I think right up to maybe during COVID and then this is a and they've been challenged each time the U board of supervisors has approved the revisions to um the project they're working on. So so everybody knows the project itself is just a code update. So like the code updates about housing that I've brought to you. It's a new chapter regarding oil and gas permitting. That's the project and then the lengthy document is the EIR the environmental

impact report discussing everything involved with that. So what they've done is I don't know it's quite exactly over the counter but it's as close to over the counter as it could get for something like this. Um there are substantial fees involved where the EIR reviewed what the impacts are and has settled on impact fees I believe to air quality. So it would go to the regional or state air quality board biology which will go to the state fish and wildlife and then transportation that I believe might be a combination of fees to the county itself and maybe even CALR for the road impacts for the additional trucks being uh more on the road. So when they pay, there's probably some sort of application fee plus however many tens of thousands of dollars in impact fees. There's probably a expedited review, probably not necessarily over the counter, maybe a 7 to 14 day type review. And because this has been driven by the oil industry in support by with the uh county planning staff and um uh there's has shortened the process and then you know pay your fees to contribute towards the funds that will help mitigate those three environmental impacts. Um there might be more but those are the ones I recall from the initial approval. They do have a planning commission meeting tomorrow evening, Thursday, June 5th. It's an evening meeting unlike board of supervisors at 7:00 p.m. And then most likely if the board is still the first and third Tuesdays, I'm guessing third Tuesday of this month or July 1st um at 9:00 a.m. or their afternoon 2:00 p.m. start will be probably dedicated to reviewing that on the board level. So for those interested, go to the Kern County um planning department's website. Um the agenda should be there. Um they do have a system where you may be able to stream through the website if you

want to stay home and just watch u the proceedings there or if you want to uh contribute and speak. Um they have an open speaking period just like we have a public hearing period as well because this is a you know reintroduction and discussion and public hearing of that effort. So and I understand that there would love anybody who wanted to offer a letter of support or anything like that. I know it's short notice but an email exists. I believe if you look at the agenda, I'm not sure if it's there, but um the city got a public notice like we send out for this item. There is a planner contact name on there. So, probably look at the contacts there or if it's in the agenda. You could probably email or call the planner's phone right there um to add your comments because you know it's not done at planning commission. They still are going to go to the board later. so they can add that to whatever board comments um at that time. Thank you. Now on with whatever else you have. Yeah, that was very appropriate. Um uh I'll go ahead and just repeat it even though I believe everybody knows now that my last day with the city will be tomorrow, June 5th. Um it's been a great pretty much exactly 12 years. I look back really and my first week here was the second week of June in 2013. Uh in that third week, uh the video is still on the city website of me being introduced to the council. Paul Linder was the mayor at the time. Uh current mayor Dave Noir was in your seat, Dennis. Yep. And uh and he gave the words of encouragement and assured that Mark was going to be a pro business or or we're open for business planner here for the city of Taft at that time, which you have been. Yeah. Yeah. And I did my best to dress how I did that first day last night. gave my thank yous to the council and everybody else including the five of you. Uh so I thank the five of you and everyone else who's been up on this uh commission.

Actually forgot Renee Hills tenure on the commission but acknowledged her on the council but Shannon Miller um Robert Thompson, Bob Lyam, Sean Sutherland who I barely got to know for four meetings before he uh stepped down. Um so thank you everyone. Thank you to Ron Orin who's not here this evening. Um, it's been a fun ride. Hopefully, I've helped all of you in your decision- making over the more recent years and then all 12 or so years for the chairman. Um, so um I'll be somewhat in touch uh with the clerk just to keep an eye on things as the transition happens. Um, we are trying to work with the consultant that's helping us with the housing element to provide some staffing help for the remaining projects still on my docket. Right. um and they will be presenting to you, but I'll probably zoom in in some way to provide whatever comments that may be needed both for planning commission and eventually city council because we're pretty close. I just couldn't get it done in before I left. So, um so yeah, it's a sad day, but um I'll keep in touch. Oh, and I'll make sure the beard grows out in the next couple months. Yeah. And be back in October. Perfect. So, um, and then I'll just speak ever so briefly. I don't have the exhibits with me, but um, the Kern County Fire Department presented the U, HighFire severity maps last night. There is going to be a process that hopefully the consultants that help or whoever my successor is um, will um, bring before you and the council to adopt the CalFire Highfire severity map that's been updated. Uh basically everything that was at a certain rating of moderate or high, it seems like it's jumped a level uh statewide probably because of the uh amount of fires that have just happened in every region in the state. We've probably had enough local ones that have caused it to um go up. um they did their best to clarify

whether that map's you utilized or not when it comes to, you know, insurance rates changing on homeowners insurance and all that, but um that will be a future meeting or information provided to the council on how that's determined and modified based on the information. Um and then yeah, as I mentioned, the housing element is moving forward. Um hopefully in the next month or two it'll be before you and the that consultant will present their work because they're the ones that have been really working on it and uh I'll uh u make sure eyes are dotted, tees are crossed and work with our recording secretary and our clerks as it moves through the process. And that's it for my planning director report. Your last city attorney, please. Thank you very much. I'll just kind of repeat what I said last night, Mark, which is that it's been a pleasure this decade plus working with you. I mean, your your knowledge, your professionalism, your collegiality. It's it's a loss to the city of Taft to see you go, but I think congratulations are owed to you and to the city of Banning on its newest employee. Um, you will be missed here and and I in particular now have to figure out another source for my news and updates on the New England Patriots. I'll keep your email. Thank you. You go. It's going to be all bad news. Thank you. Um Yes. Yeah. Thank you guys. You're free to go. Thank you. You're welcome. Um we are now at the commissioner comments section of the day and we'll start to the left. I don't have any comments and move to the right. Uh gee lord. Uh, congratulations to the class of 2025 graduating high school right now tonight. Uh, so I think there's somebody locally right here behind the camera you can't see, but uh, son's graduating. Congratulations. Uh, I got a couple friends also graduating, so best of wishes. Um, actually a worker

for Asian Experience is also graduating, so we're short-handed. So I'm supposed to go back, so I got to cut this short. Okay, I got the message. Yeah. A lot of thanks to you. Uh it's been a good 12 years with you and I've got to be with you for four of it. So that's that's pretty cool and uh it's a big loss for us, but we wish you the best of luck and uh Thank you. Yeah. Well, you will be missed. Yeah. And in the entire I've been here, I think you've done as good a job as I've ever seen a planning person do for a city. All the years I worked in the San Diego County, I don't think there's one planning person that I dealt with was any better at this than you've been. Um, I knew eventually you were going to work yourself into a bigger job because you've you've been such a good planning director that somebody was going to snatch you up at some point. So, I offer my congratulations. Um, I think you'll do your new job proud and I do look forward to seeing you at the parade. Please. Yeah. Um, that is all my comments for the night. Uh, we're just down to uh the risk of identifying me to be the representative to the city council has gone up since I've now missed two. What? Yeah. I I came back with backachche. So, I laid down on the concrete floor when I'm redoing the rug in my room and I still fell asleep. Oh, wow. So, I slept right through it and put it on to Mark to do it. So anyways, I I promise I'll stay awake. Okay. All right. That case, I'd like to uh nominee you to do this for us. Okay. Thank you. Anybody have any desire to do it instead of me? Nope. So, you're all willing to take the risk? Nope. You know. Okay. In that case, you Yeah. Um now I'll have to show up at least for a

while because nobody else will know what's going on. Um so we're just now needed a motion for adjournment. A motion. Second. All those in favor? I Okay, get back to work. Okay. Yeah, get back to work.