Murrieta planning commission approves CarMax expansion on Madison Avenue

Murrieta Planning Commission voted unanimously Jan. 22 to approve a revised development plan and conditional use permit that will expand the existing CarMax auto-sales facility east of Madison Avenue, north of Guava Street.

The approval, carried 3-0, adopted an addendum to the 2015 mitigated negative declaration under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and authorized the construction of a 4.62-acre expansion that includes additional vehicle staging areas, seven additional truck-carrier stalls, a guard structure, lighting, perimeter walls and landscaping. Chair Pro Tem Michael LaPaglia made the motion to approve; Commissioner Beamish seconded. Commissioners LaPaglia, Beamish and DeSenna voted yes.

Staff and the applicant told the commission the expansion is intended to increase operational efficiency without changing the store’s hours of operation or its basic retail function. “This is not intended to alter the operations of the existing store but to make this more efficient and help with the traffic,” said Abby Bartalo, a development consultant for CarMax’s project team.

Assistant planner Rod Salazar presented the staff report, describing the three parcels between the existing CarMax site and Madison Avenue that are included in the proposal. Salazar said the project area includes about 1.04 acres of new landscaping and that the expansion parcels are…