The Yuma County Board of Supervisors voted to approve a special‑use permit on Aug. 4 for an outdoor food‑court operation at 11666 South Foothills Boulevard, permitting food trucks, outdoor seating and outdoor entertainment on a 21,800‑square‑foot parcel in local commercial (C‑1) zoning.

Richard Munguia, senior planner for Yuma County Development Services, summarized staff findings including required buffering, parking estimates and the reduced site plan the applicant provided. Munguia said the project as submitted will require 23 parking spaces and must meet setback and buffering rules or obtain variances.

Jacob Fletcher, the applicant and operator (ECLS Investments), described the site layout and said the property can provide the required parking and that he had worked with neighboring property owners for overflow parking. Fletcher said he had removed one food truck and some seating from an earlier plan to address setbacks.

One nearby resident who asked that their name and address be withheld submitted an email read into the record opposing the permit. The writer said the existing operation had become “a full‑scale entertainment venue” with loud music, traffic and parking impacts and asked that the board deny the permit or impose enforceable conditions including masonry walls on the north and south sides and a 6 p.m. cutoff for live entertainment.

Supporters also addressed the board. Jack VanderLoop, a nearby resident and regular customer, said the venue has been “low key” and described music limited to small acoustic performers and concluding by 6:30 p.m. He advocated allowing the operation to continue with conditions.

Planning staff reported 71 letters of support and 11 letters of opposition were submitted; staff also noted some support letters lacked addresses and several were from outside the notification radius. The planning and zoning commission recommended approval with performance conditions; the applicant agreed to the recommended additions.

Supervisor Simmons moved to approve the special‑use permit subject to the planning‑recommended performance conditions and additional requirements: a seven‑foot solid masonry or equivalent sound‑attenuating wall on the north and south sides of the venue, a live‑entertainment cutoff extended to 7:00 p.m. (instead of 6:30 p.m.), and a 15‑year permit term. The motion included the other operational and performance conditions recommended by staff. The motion was seconded and carried.

Maggie Castro, Development Services director, confirmed any new wall must meet zoning setbacks and not obstruct sight triangles at the Foothills Boulevard intersections; staff will verify compliance. The board noted staff may revoke a special‑use permit for noncompliance and asked the applicant to coordinate with neighbors on parking and noise control.

The decision allows the applicant to operate with the approved conditions; the board did not adopt additional enforcement language beyond standard performance conditions and revocation authority.