Perris planning commission approves Vallarta Marketplace project and certifies EIR; adds 8-foot walls, directs trash relocations

The Perris Planning Commission on Aug. 6 voted 5-0 to certify the final environmental impact report (EIR) for the Vallarta Marketplace Shopping Center and to approve a conditional use permit and development plan review that would allow a 59,371-square-foot Vallarta supermarket, a fuel station with a convenience store, drive-through coffee and restaurant lanes, and several inline retail buildings on 10.55 acres at the southeast corner of Placentia Avenue and Perris Boulevard.

Commission staff told the commission the EIR found project impacts would be reduced to less-than-significant levels where mitigation measures apply, but the project nonetheless generated two significant unavoidable operational impacts — one for air quality and one for greenhouse-gas emissions — and the commission adopted a statement of overriding considerations along with the EIR. The commission also approved a set of development conditions, including a new condition to require an 8-foot block wall on the east and south property lines adjacent to residences and administrative actions to relocate some trash enclosures closer to tenant buildings.

Why it matters: The site is in a part of Perris with relatively limited nearby grocery options. Commissioners said a local supermarket could reduce trip lengths for residents, but staff analyses measured project emissions assuming most trips would be new, producing operational air- and greenhouse-gas impacts that exceed the city thresholds and thus require the overriding finding.

Staff presentation and project scope Alfredo Garcia, planning staff, summarized the project as a mixed retail center anchored by a Vallarta supermarket and described the design as Spanish-style architecture with tile roofing, 11 percent landscaping (about 51,000 square feet) and pedestrian enhancements. The application requested two resolutions: PC Resolution 25-17 to certify the EIR and adopt the mitigation monitoring and reporting program and the statement of overriding considerations for noise and greenhouse gases, and PC Resolution 25-18 to approve Conditional Use Permit 23-05264 and Development Plan Review 24-00014.

"The EIR concluded that all impacts were reduced to less than significant or have been reduced to below significant a level with the implementation of mitigation measures," Garcia told the commission.

Project specifics described in staff materials and the applicant's presentation include: - A 59,371-square-foot grocery store (Vallarta). - A 7,510-square-foot inline retail building, a 15,593-square-foot junior anchor building and a 7,000-square-foot standalone retail building. - A convenience store with vehicle fueling canopy (4,913 sq. ft.), a 2,367-square-foot drive-through coffee shop and two drive-through restaurant lanes (combined 4,700 sq. ft.). - Six driveways (three on Perris Boulevard, three on Placentia Avenue) with right-in/right-out restrictions at some and left-in options at others; project engineering calls for a deceleration lane on Perris Boulevard. - On-site electric-vehicle capacity described in plans as 94 spaces with 24 that will be EV-capable "ready" and others pre-wired for future chargers.

Public input and technical issues There were no members of the public who spoke in opposition at the hearing. Kurt Heintz, Base Civil Engineer at March Air Reserve Base, asked the commission to allow time for the Air Force to review the plans because portions of the site lie within Accident Potential Zone 1; that request preceded commission action on an unrelated parcel-map continuance.

Noise and deliveries were a major topic of technical discussion. The project's acoustical report and mitigation package limit deliveries to daytime hours to avoid nighttime violations of the city's noise standard; the consultant explained a mitigation measure in the record would limit deliveries to daytime hours from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

"There is a mitigation measure ... that limits the deliveries to daytime hours from 7AM till 10PM," the project's acoustical representative said at the hearing. Staff cited the noise study's finding that a 6-foot masonry wall was used in the analysis, and commissioners asked that buffer height be reconsidered.

Commission actions and specific conditions During deliberations, commissioners requested several modifications and clarifications. The commission instructed staff and the applicant to: - Certify the final EIR and adopt PC Resolution 25-17 (EIR, mitigation monitoring and statement of overriding considerations for noise and greenhouse gases). - Approve PC Resolution 25-18 to grant Conditional Use Permit 23-05264 and Development Plan Review 24-00014, subject to the findings and conditions in the resolution as amended on the record. - Replace the third-to-last recital on page 2 of Resolution 25-17: change the language from "findings and conclusions recommended by this resolution" to "findings and conclusions made in this resolution." The text change was presented by the city attorney and incorporated into staff recommendation. - Require an 8-foot masonry wall along the east and south sides of the property where the site abuts residences (the motion increased the wall height above the 6-foot masonry wall used in the noise study). - Direct staff to administratively work with the applicant to relocate the trash enclosures (including the enclosure serving the convenience store/fueling station) to closer, safer positions and to ensure ADA compliance and sight-line safety. - Ask staff and the applicant to select palm-tree species and maximum heights appropriate for the site's context (commission discussion suggested limiting palm heights to roughly 30 feet rather than the taller varieties referenced in the applicant materials). - Consider additional striping/chevron markings on Placentia Avenue and other traffic-calming or median treatments to discourage left turns where the driveways are restricted; public-works conditions will address required deceleration/turn lanes on Perris Boulevard.

Motions and vote Commissioner Jimenez moved to adopt the EIR certification (Resolution 25-17) and to approve Resolution 25-18 granting the CUP and DPR as modified on the record; Commissioner Lopez seconded. The commission voted 5-0 (Lopez: yes; Jimenez: yes; Menendez: yes; Vice Chair Shively: yes; Chair Hammond: yes). The chair confirmed the vote and closed the item.

What remains Staff distributed an updated conditions-of-approval packet at the hearing; the commission incorporated a number of those administrative refinements into its approval and tasked staff with working through remaining engineering, traffic and landscaping details before building permits are issued. The action authorizes project approvals under the listed resolutions; implementation tasks including final engineering plans, sign permits and administrative relocation of trash enclosures will be processed by staff consistent with the conditions approved tonight.

"We're really excited to be a part of the Perris community," applicant representative Wade Shuey said at the hearing. "We're looking forward to being a part of the community for years to come."