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Planning Commission approves Pepper Lane warehouse design review, denies loading-throat waiver
Summary
The commission granted design review and two waivers for an office/warehouse on Pepper Lane but denied requests to reduce loading-throat dimensions, citing truck maneuvering and circulation concerns; the decision included modifications and conditions.
The Planning Commission on Jan. 28 approved a design review and several waiver requests for a proposed office/warehouse building and outdoor storage submitted by J & J Invest Investment LLC, but denied specific waiver requests to reduce the required loading-throat depth along a service drive.
Eber Montalo, representing the applicant, described a roughly 20,050-square-foot warehouse on a 4.32-acre site east of Mojave Road and south of Pepper Lane. The applicant requested multiple waivers, including alternate loading spaces, reduced driveway throat depths, and detached sidewalks. Montalo said the existing site configuration limits the space available to meet standard development metrics and that much of the work involves fitting a functional building into an already-built industrial park.
Planning staff and commissioners focused on a safety concern: the required 25-foot throat depth for truck maneuvering at loading areas versus the existing 4-foot throat depth at parts of the site. Commissioners questioned whether trucks could safely enter, unload and exit without encroaching on customer parking or creating circulation conflicts. Montalo said most loading would take place inside the building and proposed traffic controls such as stop signs, pavement markings and arrows to manage internal circulation. He also offered to adjust an onsite gate or fencing to improve turning radii if required.
Kelly Blatnik, a member of the public, supported the applicant’s request, saying the applicant had made reasonable efforts to comply and that the proposal improved the site compared with current conditions.
After deliberations, the commission voted to approve the design review and to grant waivers 1 and 3 as submitted, but to deny waiver 2 (both subparts a and b) that would reduce the throat depth at the loading areas. The motion included direction that the applicant may modify onsite gates/fencing as a design review item to facilitate truck movements. The commission’s recorded vote in the transcript was entered as "Aye" in favor of the conditional approval.
The approval allows the applicant to proceed with design-level work subject to the denied waiver requirements being retained (i.e., the applicant must not reduce the loading throat requirements) and per staff-recommended conditions.
