Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

Good evening. I'm going to call the Tuesday, May 26, 2026 meeting of the City of Tulare Planning Commission to order and it's 530 and we are now in order. The first item of business on our agenda is the Pledge of Allegiance and we're going to be led by Vice Chair Lemus.

Please rise. Ready salute.

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. This chair. All right. The next item on our agenda is commissioners' reports and item of interest. Is there anything commissioners would like to speak about?

Commissioner, before we go there, I believe we missed public comment.

Yes, we sure did. All right. Thank you. Public comment. Members of the public wishing to comment on any item not appearing on the agenda may address the Planning Commission at this time. State law prevents the Commission from acting on any matter not on the agenda. However, your comments may be referred to staff for follow-up. This is also the time for the public to comment on items listed under the consent calendar or to request an item from the consent calendar be pulled for discussion. Comments related to public hearing and general business items will be heard at the time those items are discussed. In fairness to all who wish to speak, public comment is limited to a total of 15 minutes with each speaker allowed three minutes, unless otherwise extended by the commission. Please begin your comments by stating your name and providing your city of residence. Is there anyone that would like to take advantage of this time and make a public comment? Okay, now. Commissioner's reports and item of interest. Is there anything that you would like to discuss? Okay. Next on our agenda is the consent calendar and all matters listed under the consent calendar are considered by the Commission to be routine and will be enacted in one motion without discussion. If discussion is desired, that item may be removed and considered separately. Is there anything to be removed from the consent calendar this evening?

I'd like to remove the 5.2 so we can discuss it later.

Okay, so you want to remove item 5.2 for discussion?

Yes.

Okay. Um, let's move it. Came in form of a motion and now I need a 2nd. I'll 2nd, okay. It's been moved in 2nd. Did we remove item 5.2? Can we do this with a voice vote?

You don't technically need a motion on a pulling an item from the consent calendar.

okay so can i move to approve 5.1 and we'll discuss 5.2 i'll second that all in favor signify by saying aye aye any opposed okay we'll down move down to item 5.2

Okay, well, since I'm new here and I'm familiar with this improvement program, can you give me a little bit of a background on what the existing is versus the new and At least give me a little bit idea what that is because I know I know it has to do with the.

Well, there's no money attached to this, but with the budget, so is there anybody can so yeah, so the, this item is essentially the planning commission is making a finding that the projects that are called for in the 5 year couple improvement program are consistent with the policies and and implementation programs of the general plan. uh that's the action being taken tonight um the five year this is a five-year capital improvement program that is maintained by the city it's kind of uh is prioritizing what projects the city will undertake in the future as funding as identified and made available um and so this is updated every year prior to the adoption of the city's budget so the existing when it says existing on the category that means that that program was also programmed in last year's capital improvement program but funding was not identified or made available in order to fund that project as part of last year's budget so that it didn't fall off of the program essentially. So then the new ones are new projects that are being identified to be prioritized in the future as we move forward and again as funding is identified. And so Um, this is required to occur prior to adoption of the city's budget. Um, and that is essentially what is happening here. We're making a finding that these things that are being called for within the program are consistent with the general plan.

And when it says, like, for instance, the, um. And their facilities project airport runway payment management. It's a new project. And as for study, so is there is funding going to be towards the study of that happening occurring?

Yeah, so again, the. In terms of the funding for these projects, those are overseen either by the board of public utilities. If it involves utility accounts, or if it's general fund monies, it's the city council. But this becomes before the planning commission simply to find that these projects are consistent with the general plan. And so with that specific example, the funding would be for a study to be conducted for that project. And so, before the vote of the board of public utilities or city council, they're voting on allocation of the funding for it. Planning commissions vote is just making sure that these are projects that are consistent. With the goals of the city's general plan, which are fairly broad, but they come to city staff city staff reviews prepares it in the staff report for your planning commissions consideration.

So staff essentially has identified the need of a study to occur. And so before any funding can be allocated towards a study, it has to be part of the CIP program. And so now as funding is identified in the future, it would be an eligible project or an eligible study to be funded in the future.

Okay, I'm clear.

Thank you. Would it be possible because he came on to the commission after this had all been presented to us to get him a copy of, like we had a hard copy.

Of the five-year CIP?

Yeah.

Absolutely. We can follow up from this meeting.

What is that?

It's what you're talking about here, but it was a big packet that they previously gave us that had been presented here to the commission.

Okay.

So we need to get you a copy of it, and then you can go through the whole entire thing.

I appreciate that. Thank you.

Is this item time sensitive?

Yes. So we would look for a motion to be made.

Well, I move that we on the consent calendar, except by point 2.

I'll 2nd, do we need to pull the commission?

Yes, we're in.

I.

Vice chair, they must. I. Commissioner can too. Hi. Chair Miller.

Hi. The item has passed. Okay next on our agenda is public hearing. Comments related to public hearing items are limited to three minutes per speaker for a maximum of 30 minutes per item unless otherwise extended by the Commission. The 1st item is 6.1 conditional use permit number 2026. 08 and it's to consider a request by commercial neon to install a 20 foot 102 square foot freeway sign and approve conditional conditional use permit. Number 2026. 08 based on the findings and subject to the recommended conditions. In resolution number 5556, the subject property is located at 4600 South K Street. Jonathan?

Thank you. The item before you is a request by Commercial Neon Inc. to install a 20-foot-tall freeway sign for an existing business onsite located at 4600 South K Street. There are no existing signs on this property and the two adjacent properties do not have the pole signs themselves. The proposed sign will be located in the back of the property adjacent to Highway 99. The proposed site is zoned into heavy industrial and drone plan designation is heavy industrial. The proposed freeway sign will be 20 feet tall, 102 square feet, and located within 300 feet of Highway 99. The project is exempt pursuant to Section 15311, Accessory Structures of the California Environmental Quality Act. In conclusion, staff recommends approval of conditional use permit application number 20266-08. This concludes my presentation. Staff is available to answer any further questions.

Okay, this is a public hearing. The hearing is now open. We will take comments either in favor or opposed to this conditional use permit. Is there anyone that would like to speak? We just need your name and city of residence.

President, please.

Turn the microphone on. Yeah, the lights are good. Yeah.

Yeah. Chris Wainwright and with streamline irrigation. Just wanted to answer any questions about this project if there were any.

Thank you.

That's all.

Does anyone have any questions?

So, yeah, I do. So, on the sign on this page here, we're at the 4,000. Is that where the science going to be? I see a little dot there.

No, it's going to be just closer to along the freeway there.

I'm looking at the wrong page or the page okay I see okay so you can see here that the business fronts on K Street and that the behind it is the freeway 99 and the sign will be in the back of the property closer to 99.

So can I ask, because you guys want applicant to screen the fence instead of installing a planter at the base. Is there a reason for it? I read somewhere in here.

Yeah. So our thinking, so there's a municipal code requirement that a planter be established at the base of the freeway sign. And our thinking was that that's more of an aesthetic request that feels more appropriate for when it's in the front of a business rather than in essentially they have a it's an irrigation business and the and the rear of the property is the equivalent of a lay down yard where there's materials being laid down it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to have a landscape planter in the middle of their lay down yard and so i think what was more appropriate would be more aesthetic to to um the area as you're driving down 99 is to simply screen provide screening within the existing fence that would kind of shield from view of people traveling down 99 just the materials that they use on a daily basis for their lay down yard um and so but then the sign would of course be much taller and be visible for from vehicles passing on 99.

Okay, I just want because I wondered why you were asking that question versus the other.

Yeah, you usually do see a planter around it and it's all it is a municipal code requirement and we just felt like it was more appropriate to change the requirement for this particular request.

And you're okay with it. Sure. Yes. Okay. All right. Thank you.

Thank you.

I'm going to close the public hearing. Is there any further discussion? I will entertain a motion.

I move that we accept conditional use permit number 2026-08 based upon the findings and subject to the recommended conditions in resolution number 5556. I'll second.

It has been moved and seconded that we accept commercial neon inks Request to install a sign under conditional use permit number 202608 based on the findings and subject to the recommendations in resolution number 5556. Maria, will you please hold the Commission?

Commissioner Hennard?

Aye.

Vice Chair Limas? Commissioner Cantu? Aye. Chair Miller?

Aye. The motion is passed. Congratulations. Next on our agenda is conditional use permit number 2026-09. Recommended action is to consider a request by Irvin Gutierrez to operate a mobile vending food truck and approve conditional use permit number 2026-09 based on the findings and subject to the recommended conditions in resolution number 5555. The subject property is located at 1543 East Bardsley Avenue. And this is Ms. Derek.

The item before you is a request by Urban Gutierrez to renew and operate a stationary mobile vending vehicle on the property located at 1543 East Bardsley Avenue. The proposed site is zoned C3 retail commercial and the general plan designation is neighborhood commercial and the use requires a conditional use permit. The business will operate from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. from Monday through Sunday. The vending operation contains a refrigerator, cooking appliances, and food preparation areas, and customers will have access to the restrooms. The project is categorically exempt pursuant to section 15304E of the California Environmental Quality Act. In conclusion, staff recommends approval of conditional use permit application number 2026-09 subject to the recommended conditions of approval provided in your staff report. This concludes my presentation. Staff is available to answer any further questions.

Thank you. I'm going to open the public hearing. And it is now closed. Commissioners, what do you think?

I love their tacos.

Personally, I like the chicken that they cook next to it, too, on the weekends. It's the best chicken in town.

There's never been complaints or anything about Tacos San Marcos, to my knowledge, has there ever?

Or not aware of any issues.

Or the location. I mean, they're up and kind of out of the way there.

Yeah, this location is fortunate in the fact that they are over-parked, so there's sufficient parking, even though they take up some of the parking spaces. And in talking to the applicant, they have a very good working relationship with the supermarket. In fact, I think they buy their meat. So they have kind of a symbiotic relationship.

I think the parking lot goes further back. I remember when we did the ribbon cutting there and Taco San Marcos was serving tacos and they were cooking chicken. But I think the parking lot went. The only thing I ever hear about that location is It's hard to turn left when you pull out of the grocery store parking lot and people don't like that, but I've never heard anything negative as far as tacos San Marcos goes.

Okay, I'll entertain a motion.

I move that we approve the conditional use permit number 2026-09 based on the findings.

I'll second. It has been moved and seconded that we approve Conditional Use Prevent Number 2026-09 based on the findings and subject to the recommendations in Resolution Number 5555. Maria, will you pull the Commission?

Commissioner Cantu?

Aye.

Vice Chair Lemus? Aye. Commissioner Hennard?

Aye.

Chair Miller?

Aye. Motion is carried. Okay. General business. We have none. And we have staff updates for you.

Yes, so good evening. The only update that doesn't look like we'll have business for the 1st meeting in June. We'll come from that. I think probably the next couple of days here, but we do have items we're anticipating for the 2nd meeting in June. So just for your schedules as a heads up.

Okay. Is there anything else to come before the commission? We stand adjourned.