Ripon planning commission backs rezoning to allow small-animal clinic at two West Main Street properties

The Ripon Planning Commission on a 5-0 vote recommended that the City Council approve a general plan amendment and rezone of 1408 and 1444 West Main Street from Professional Office (PO) to Community Commercial (C2) to allow a 4,300-square-foot small-animal veterinary clinic at 1444 West Main Street, staff said.

Staff presented the project as consistent with the West Main corridor’s mixed commercial land use and said the two buildings together total just over 15,500 square feet: 1408 is about 8,400 square feet and 1444 just over 7,000. "The applicant proposes to place a 4,300 square foot small animal clinic within Suite C and D of the building located at 1444 West Main Street," staff said during the presentation.

Why it matters: staff said the C2 zone would permit veterinary uses that the existing PO zone does not, while still allowing many office uses. The rezone would broaden allowable businesses on an important commercial corridor and, staff said, support economic development goals for the area.

Key details and conditions

- Parking: staff reported 67 existing parking spaces across the two parcels, exceeding a conservative combined requirement of about 62 spaces. The veterinary clinic is expected to require about 17 to 19 spaces depending on staffing levels, and staff concluded parking was adequate under the proposed zoning. "Across both parcels, there is a 67 existing parking spaces," staff said.

- Traffic: staff described the clinic as generating moderate trip levels mainly from scheduled appointments and said the roadway network on West Main Street is designed to accommodate commercial volumes; staff did not anticipate significant traffic impacts.

- Conditions: staff listed two primary conditions of approval: any interior improvements will require building permits from the building department, and the 1444 West Main property must install a new trash enclosure consistent with the city's design standards (the two parcels currently share one enclosure). Staff noted the trash enclosure will likely affect one to two parking spaces.

Applicant testimony and operations

Applicant Mandeep Karam, who said the property at 1444 is currently in escrow, told the commission he operates a veterinary clinic in Stockton and intends this to be an additional location. Karam said the suite is currently occupied by tenants on short leases and that he expects hours roughly around 6–7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and about four to six staff members on duty at peak times. "We're planning to open ... 6 7AM to 7PM," Karam said.

Commission discussion and concerns

Commissioners generally supported adding a veterinary clinic to meet apparent local demand but raised concerns that converting PO parcels to C2 could push up rents and squeeze out professional-office tenants over time. One commissioner noted that, while the C2 zone permits a range of uses (including some that seem unlikely for this site), change-of-use reviews and business-license checks would be used to manage future conversions. Staff said some potential uses that are allowed in C2 (for example, gas stations) would require significant redevelopment and would return to the commission for review.

Formal action and next steps

Commissioner (speaker 3) moved to find the proposed project categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and to recommend that the City Council approve the general plan land-use amendment and rezone from Professional Office to Community Commercial for the properties at 1408 and 1444 West Main Street, subject to the conditions in the staff report. The motion received a second and was adopted 5-0. The commission’s recommendation now goes to the City Council for final action.

The staff report and the commission’s recommendation list permit steps and conditions the applicant must satisfy (building permits and a new trash enclosure). Staff also noted a possible accessory dwelling unit ordinance amendment may appear before the commission in a future meeting.

The meeting record shows the commission closed the public hearing the same night and forwarded the recommendation to council; the council will take up the rezoning in a subsequent public meeting.