Board approves rezoning and precise development plan for Rosedale commercial corner

Kern County supervisors on Tuesday, Jan. 14, approved a change in zone classification and a precise development plan to allow a commercial development at the northeast corner of Rosedale Highway and Nord Avenue in the Western Rosedale specific plan area.

The board enacted an ordinance to rezone approximately 13.67 acres of a 29-acre parcel from A-1 (limited agricultural) to C-2 PD (general commercial, precise development) and approved a PD plan for commercial development on roughly 5.14 acres of that parcel, subject to the conditions recommended by county staff.

County planning staff told the board the PD plan would authorize a convenience market (staff presentation referenced a 5,500-square-foot market), a fuel island canopy, a fast-food restaurant with drive-through (staff cited a 25,180-square-foot building in the staff presentation) and two additional retail pads. Staff said the project would include nine electric-vehicle charging stations and a solar canopy. The applicant, Nadim Sarkis of LAV Pinnacle Engineering, said the development would replace an often-vacant, unmaintained lot and provide nearby services and jobs.

Why it mattered: neighbors raised safety, noise, lighting, water and property-value concerns and opposed adding a gas station at the rural edge of Metropolitan Bakersfield. County staff and public works officials said the site is designated for commercial use under the adopted Western Rosedale Specific Plan and that conditions of approval are intended to address the cited concerns.

Key conditions and mitigations - Traffic: County Public Works recommended limiting access to a single point on Nord Avenue and a single access point on Rosedale Highway (the applicant must revise plans to meet that requirement). Staff also included requirements for road dedications and construction of roadway and intersection improvements along both frontages and required payment of Metropolitan Bakersfield traffic impact fees. The public works director said traffic counts and the county’s traffic-warrant criteria do not currently justify a new signal, and the department will coordinate signal construction through the traffic impact fee program when warranted. - Utilities: The applicant requested an exception to connect to public sewer and proposed septic systems; Public Works reviewed and supports bringing the sewer exception forward to the board at the next hearing. Water service will be provided by Vaughan Water Company, per staff. - Environmental and safety measures: Staff included a preconstruction biological survey by qualified biologists to detect special-status species, required compliance with Kern County Environmental Health standards for underground fuel storage (staff indicated double-walled tanks and annual leak monitoring), and applied the county’s Dark Skies requirements to limit light spill onto adjacent properties.

Public comment and board discussion Several nearby residents and property owners told the board they moved to the area for rural, low-traffic living and opposed the project. Speakers cited tumbleweeds and alleged poor site maintenance by the current owner, potential risk to private wells from fuel storage, increased noise and light, and safety concerns at the Nord–Rosedale intersection. One resident asked for block walls and strict maintenance conditions if the board approved the project.

Planning staff and Public Works responded that the southern portion of the 29-acre parcel is already designated for commercial use by the Western Rosedale Specific Plan, that roadway improvements required by conditions should improve sight lines and safety, and that traffic impact fees are intended to fund a future signal when warrants are met. Public Works reported 12 collisions at the intersection in the last three years (no fatalities in that period) and said the county has installed enhanced warning devices and will continue monitoring.

The applicant, Nadim Sarkis, told the board the site is a recurring source of dust, dumping and tumbleweeds and said the development would improve neighborhood appearance, add EV chargers and create local jobs. Sarkis estimated job creation and cited prospective tax revenue figures; those estimates were presented by the applicant and are not county projections.

Board action Supervisor Pete Peters moved to approve staff’s recommendation to adopt the resolution and findings and enact the ordinance approving the zone change and to adopt the resolution approving the PD plan, all subject to the recommended conditions. The motion was seconded and the board voted unanimously to approve the project (motion approved; "all ayes").

What remains: The applicant must address the sewer-connection exception in a subsequent hearing, revise access points per conditions, and secure building and grading permits. Public Works and Environmental Health will review final engineering and fuel-tank designs during permitting.

For residents: supervisors and Public Works staff said the county will retain traffic counts and monitor conditions; if future traffic warrants change, the county may require signalization or other traffic-calming measures funded through the traffic impact fee program.