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Moraga residents and business owner urge action on undergrounding, traffic calming and small-business rules
Summary
During public comment the owner of Moraga Motors and a long-time resident called on the commission and staff to clarify enforcement and to expedite undergrounding of utilities, traffic-calming measures and small-business supports including clearer rules for food trucks and business licensing.
Two public commenters addressed town policies affecting small businesses and local infrastructure during the Planning Commission’s Oct. 21, 2025 public-comment period.
Ron Schumacher, who identified himself as representing Moraga Motors, told the commission he was concerned about recent enforcement that he said restricted work the shop has performed for 25 years. ‘‘We've been doing it for 25 years,’’ Schumacher said of repairing recreational vehicles at the business. He described receiving an immediate email requiring a stop or clarification after a customer vehicle was on site for one day and said the enforcement felt heavy-handed: ‘‘That's like saying you're gonna drive down the freeway, the posted speed limit's 65, and you go 66, and you get a cop following you the whole way. That's how I'm starting to feel.’’ Schumacher asked staff and commissioners for clarity on code provisions and enforcement around his operation’s permits.
Dave Schneier, a Moraga resident and commercial-property manager, urged the commission to direct staff to expedite several items he said staff and council had previously promised: undergrounding utilities along Moraga Road (phase 2 and 3), progress on traffic-calming work, and support for small businesses. Schneier described undergrounding and traffic-calming as ‘‘a safety issue. This is an aesthetic issue. This is a fire life safety issue,’’ and said he wanted the commission to ask staff to provide residents with a timeline for completion. Schneier also raised concerns about inconsistent business enforcement and the absence of a town business-license system; he said some food trucks operating in the community were not licensed or paying sales taxes and that small businesses face regulatory and cost burdens that risk driving them out of town.
Commissioners closed the public-comment period after the two speakers. Staff noted they were taking the comments and that the matters could be referred to staff for follow-up or placed on a future agenda for more formal action.
