The Planning and Economic Development Commission on July 1 approved Conditional Use Permit CUP 25-03 and adopted Resolution PC 25-06 to allow Date Better Snacks to operate a small-scale food processing, packaging and storage business at 1839 Business Center Drive.

Staff told commissioners the business, Date Better Snacks, will make handcrafted chocolate-dipped Medjool date snacks and date bark, and would operate Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The applicant expects to employ about five people. Planning staff recommended approval, saying the site is zoned for industrial uses and the proposal is small in scale and ‘‘does not produce harsh odors, use heavy equipment, or have large delivery shipments.’’ The staff presentation described a floor plan with an office, employee break room, one restroom, a designated food preparation area and storage.

Michelle, the business owner, told the commission the operation does not fall under county health inspections and instead is regulated by the California state manufacturing inspection. She described the process as non-cooking: dates are filled and dipped in melted chocolate, packaged in plastic and boxed for shipment. She added finished goods will be stored on site for no more than five days before shipping. Shipping will use UPS and USPS with daily pickups between about 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and equipment will be electrically powered, producing minimal noise.

Planning staff said shared parking at the Lewis Business Park complex can accommodate the proposed use and that they anticipated no noise or odor impacts. After a brief public hearing and questions from commissioners, the commission voted to approve the conditional use permit; commissioners recorded a voice vote and the chair announced the motion carried.

Discussion and next steps: Commissioners asked whether the business would be subject to county health inspections; staff initially said they assumed so, and the applicant clarified regulation is at the state level (California state manufacturing inspection). Commissioners also asked about shipment volume; staff and the applicant characterized shipments as small (applicant referenced an estimate of about one pallet per quarter as a planning-era estimate). The approval allows the business to operate under the conditions reviewed by staff; the commission did not add conditions beyond those reflected in the resolution and permit paperwork.

The record contains staff reports, the applicant's floor plan (Exhibit B referenced during staff presentation) and the resolution adopting the permit. The commission’s approval is reflected in the motion to adopt Resolution PC 25-06 and approve CUP 25-03.

Less critical details: The applicant said she previously operated in a restaurant in Eagle Rock and had outgrown that space. She described the operation as small-scale handcrafted production rather than on-site cooking of raw materials. No controversy or public opposition was recorded in the hearing.