Calaveras planning commission backs rezoning to match long‑standing Spence Ranch Feed Supply use

The Calaveras County Planning Commission on June 12 unanimously recommended that the Board of Supervisors approve a general plan amendment and a zoning map amendment to reclassify a 150,279‑square‑foot portion of a parcel at 1235 Highway 49 in Angels Camp from “working lands” to “commercial” and to change the base zone from A‑1ME (general agriculture/mineral extraction) to C‑2 (general commercial).

Planning staff said the application (2024‑061) is a board‑directed effort “to correct a technical mapping error” and to align the general plan, zoning and an existing retail use that has been on the site for decades. “The purpose of the rezone is to establish consistency with the existing land use that has been taking place for 47 years,” staff said during the June 12 meeting.

The change affects a surveyed area of 150,279 square feet within an 18.79‑acre parcel recorded as Parcel B of Record of Survey 2564. Staff said the area is occupied by Spence Ranch Feed Supply — a retail feed and farm‑supply store with accessory structures, outdoor storage and a parking lot — and is about a half‑mile northwest of the Angels Camp city boundary.

Why it matters: Planning staff told the commission the rezoning will remove a longstanding inconsistency created during multiple past planning actions — including a 2019 general plan update and a subsequent zoning code update — that left the parcel with a working‑land general plan designation while the site was used commercially. Staff said the county eliminated a prior Rural Commercial (RC) zone during a July 2024 zoning code update because the RC uses overlapped with C‑1 and C‑2, and that most affected parcels were given commercial land‑use designations at that time. The Spence property retained a working‑lands designation during earlier mapping and therefore remained zoned A‑1ME, which limited uses and would have required conditional use permits for changes that other similar parcels could pursue by right.

History and site context: Staff summarized permitting and land‑use history dating to a first building permit in 1978 and a conditional use permit for expansion approved in 1979. A lot line adjustment recorded in February 2023 reconfigured boundaries so the business and on‑site residence would sit on separate parcels; staff said the lot line adjustment used a working‑land designation to facilitate recording and that later mapping created the present inconsistency.

Staff displayed a one‑mile radius map showing mixed uses around the feed store, including the Angels Camp Veterinary Hospital, a humane society parcel, storage facilities and industrial uses along Highway 49. Staff said the area is “mixed use” with agricultural grazing parcels and large‑lot residential beyond the immediate commercial corridor.

Environmental and public review: Planning staff recommended the commission find the proposal exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) under two commonly used exemptions — CEQA Guidelines §15061(b)(3) (the “common sense” exemption) and §15305 (minor alterations in land use) — and said no public comments were received during earlier public circulation and that a 90‑day tribal consultation produced no comments.

Project scope and limitations: Staff emphasized that the application proposes no new development, will not increase residential density (the C‑2 zone prohibits single‑unit dwellings absent public water and sewer) and that the parcel has served the business with an on‑site well and wastewater system since opening. Staff said connecting to the city water would require annexation into Angels Camp and roughly a half‑mile of infrastructure, a step the county judged infeasible for this application.

Commission discussion and edits: Commissioners asked clarifying questions about split land‑use/zoning within a single assessor parcel and the effect of the 2023 record of survey. Staff explained that split designations are possible and that assessor parcel numbers will be updated after the assessor applies the record of survey. Commissioner suggestions to add the notice of exemption as an exhibit to the resolution and to clarify language in the resolution were accepted by staff; staff said those edits would be rolled into the version sent to the Board of Supervisors.

Vote and next steps: The commission voted to recommend three actions to the Board of Supervisors — approval of the notice of exemption, amendment of the general plan land‑use map for the 150,279‑square‑foot area from working lands to commercial, and adoption of the zoning map amendment changing the same area from A‑1ME to C‑2. The motion passed 5‑0. Staff said the revised notice of exemption and resolution language will be posted for the board; staff expected the item to be scheduled at the Board of Supervisors’ first meeting in July.

Meeting actions and other votes at the June 12 meeting: The commission also approved the consent calendar (minutes from March 13 and March 27) and separately approved the April 10 minutes (the commission recorded one abstention on the April 10 vote).