Commission approves 3-story Parker Medical 2 office with reciprocal parking; awning material to be metal standing seam

The Temecula Planning Commission on July 16 approved a development plan for Parker Medical 2, a proposed three-story medical office building of approximately 38,653 square feet on the west side of Avenida De Mission about 425 feet south of Temecula Parkway.

The commission voted 5-0 to approve PA22-0987 (Parker Medical 2) with the condition that staff and the project architect adopt a metal standing-seam awning (black color) rather than the striped fabric shown in the initial renderings. Commissioner Fernando moved the approval; Commissioner Mark Watson seconded the motion.

Project details and parking Scott, the city planner presenting the item, said the building would be approximately 62 feet, 5 inches tall (below the 75-foot maximum for the Professional Office zoning district). The parcel is part of a four-site development pattern that includes an existing bank, Parker Medical 1, the proposed Parker Medical 2 site and an Episcopal church to the south. The sites share a reciprocal parking agreement: collectively 318 parking spaces are required by code across the four parcels, and 337 spaces were shown as provided in the combined inventory. On-site for Parker Medical 2 the site plan showed 82 spaces with the remainder met through the reciprocal parking arrangement; staff confirmed the combined total meets parking requirements.

Accessibility and circulation Staff and the applicant confirmed accessible parking will meet code requirements (five accessible spaces in the combined area, including two in front, two internal and one adjacent to the porte-cochere). The project includes full turning ingress/egress on Avenida De Mission and internal pedestrian and bike facilities; landscaping proposes the required 25% of the site in plantings and trees.

Environmental and zoning Staff advised the commission the project is eligible for a Class 32 (infill) CEQA exemption and found the plan consistent with the Professional Office (PO) zoning district and earlier entitlements for the commercial node.

Neighbor concerns and applicant responses A condominium resident, Tina Kemper, urged the commission to require a larger separation from the condos and expressed construction and drainage concerns: “It’s way too close … I think it’s going to be a disaster if you put that building so close to the condominiums. It needs to be at least 40 to 50 feet away, in my opinion,” she said. Kemper also described prior construction noise impacts during the Parker Medical 1 build-out.

Applicant representatives responded that the proposed building would be set back 25 feet from the project property line and that there is an additional roughly 20-foot separation to the nearest condominium building, which results in approximately 45 feet building-to-building. The applicant said roof runoff would be collected by a full gutter and on-site water-quality/detention basin designed to handle storm events and that the site is built on compacted fill consistent with prior approvals. The applicant noted construction activity is subject to Temecula municipal code limits on construction hours and asked residents to report potential code violations so city staff can enforce the rules.

Awnings and materials Commissioners expressed concern about the striped fabric awning shown in renderings. The applicant and architect agreed to work with staff to replace the fabric awnings with a metal standing-seam awning; the commission made that a condition of approval and directed staff to finalize the material and color (the commission recommended a black metal standing-seam style as a durable, low-maintenance option).

Vote and next steps The commission approved the development plan 5-0 (motion by Commissioner Fernando; second by Commissioner Mark Watson). The decision is conditioned on the standard conditions of approval in the staff report and the additional direction on awning material; final site and building plans submitted for building permits must incorporate the changes and show accessible parking and the drainage/retention details discussed in the hearing.