San Joaquin County planning commission approves conditional use permit for Gurudwara Suheb Temple near Tracy

The San Joaquin County Planning Commission on June 24 approved a conditional use permit to establish the Gurudwara Suheb Temple on an 8.5-acre parcel near the city limits of Tracy.

The commission voted to adopt the findings for the conditional use permit and the determination under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines section 15183 that further environmental review is not required, and approved Conditional Use Permit PA1900085 with the recommended 82 conditions of approval.

The project, described in the staff report by Lisa Goulart, Associate Planner, would be built in two phases over five years and total about 57,500 square feet at completion. Applicant representatives said typical weekday attendance is roughly 50 people, rises to about 100–150 on Friday and Saturday, and peaks at about 250 on Sundays; the proposal also allows four annual special events with up to 500 attendees. The site plan submitted by the applicant shows on-site parking that staff says is sufficient to accommodate the highest anticipated attendance. A traffic study (2022, updated 2024) recommended converting the Nagley and Larch Roads intersection from a one-way-stop to an all-way-stop; that improvement and other traffic measures are conditions of approval and will be the applicant’s responsibility to fund.

Staff recommended approval after review of project consistency with the county general plan and the general plan EIR. Goulart told the commission that staff will file a notice of exemption under CEQA Guidelines section 15183, which allows reliance on a previously certified general plan EIR where a project is consistent with the plan and does not present project-specific significant new impacts.

Applicant counsel Brett Jolley of McKinley, Conger, Jolley & Gallardo described the CEQA rationale to the commission, noting recent case law that supports use of section 15183 where a project is consistent with a general-plan-level EIR. Applicant representative Mike Hakim said the facility will operate 10 a.m.–7 p.m. daily, employ 15 people, and that the design and proposed operations will keep worship and other activities indoors. Hakim also said the project has been reviewed by multiple county, state and local agencies and that conditions in the staff report address identified impacts.

A traffic engineer retained by the applicant, Chris Berthenay of Advanced Mobility Group, explained the traffic analysis and mitigations. Berthenay said both the county’s and the applicant’s analyses project the intersection change to yield acceptable levels of service for regular operations and that the intersection would be monitored; he said some limited special-event scenarios could produce lower levels of service but that those events occur infrequently.

Speakers at the public hearing included a supporter, Gurnil Boprai of Stockton, who spoke about the Sikh community’s history in the county and community service work, and a nearby resident, Mary Correa of 21492 Nagley Road, who raised concerns about traffic, flooding/septic impacts and road capacity. The applicant responded to public concerns at the hearing by pointing to the traffic studies and the development-title conditions that address septic and floodplain requirements.

Commissioner Glorianna Rose moved to adopt the recommended findings and approve the permit; Commissioner Tuhi Tabuchi seconded. The vote recorded five yes votes (Rose, Tuhi Tabuchi, Commissioner Meelys, Commissioner Rustailler, Commissioner Rhodes) and one recusal/abstention by Commissioner Sangha, who earlier announced she would both abstain and recuse herself from this item because of a donation to the applicant. The approval was announced at the meeting and staff noted that the appeal period expires June 30 at 5 p.m.; the appeal fee was stated as $1,027.30.

Conditions the commission highlighted or that appear in the staff report include required traffic control improvements at Nagley and Larch (to be paid for by the applicant), compliance with the county development title for septic and building-permit requirements, participation in the San Joaquin County multi-species open space and conservation plan, and compliance with San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District requirements (applicant reported air district approval in September 2024). Building permits and all listed conditions must be satisfied before construction can commence.

The planning commission hearing record shows the project has been under review for multiple years, including two traffic studies and coordination with the City of Tracy and other agencies. Staff and the applicant both told the commission the project is not on prime farmland and that agencies including the county sheriff and the South San Joaquin Fire Authority were notified and did not oppose the proposal.

The commission’s approval finalizes land-use entitlement at the planning commission level; subsequent steps include building permit review and any appeals within the stated deadline.