Riverbank planning commission approves Tractor Supply‑anchored retail project, allows off‑site alcohol sales for 16,000‑sq‑ft building with delivery‑hour limit

The Riverbank Planning Commission on Dec. 17 approved land‑use entitlements for a multi‑building retail center on Patterson Road that will include a Tractor Supply anchor and a 16,000‑square‑foot multi‑tenant retail building for which the commission granted a conditional use permit allowing the retail sale of alcoholic beverages for off‑site consumption.

Staff contract planner Michael Arroyo told commissioners the roughly 6.3‑acre site would be subdivided from two parcels into four, creating Lot 3 for a 23,729‑square‑foot Tractor Supply building with an approximately 20,000‑square‑foot outdoor display area and Lot 4 as the separate 16,000‑square‑foot retail building. Arroyo said the CUP for off‑site alcohol sales is tied only to that 16,000‑square‑foot building and that the project qualified for CEQA exemptions (infill exemption under CEQA Guidelines section 15315 and the "common sense" exemption under section 15061(b)(3)).

The commission’s approval bundled three staff resolutions — architectural and site‑plan review, the tentative parcel map, and the conditional use permit — and added an explicit condition limiting deliveries and other potentially noisy activities to between 7 AM and 10 PM. The motion passed on a roll‑call vote recorded as 4–0.

Why it matters: The entitlements move a long‑vacant, underutilized commercial corridor toward active retail use, but neighbors and nearby property owners raised concerns about traffic, access, and noise. At least one adjacent landowner, represented by Randy Brecky of Brecke Real Estate, asked the city to preserve reciprocal access expectations and to provide written assurances on future access for the Grant family parcel when it develops.

Traffic and access: Commissioners questioned whether off‑site improvements or striping changes would be required and whether a traffic study had assessed left‑turn conflicts at the two new access points. Staff and the applicant said a traffic study had been completed and that the design reflects coordination with Caltrans; the applicant also described Caltrans’ prior denial of left‑turn access at one driveway and said the current design is limited to right‑in/right‑out movements as approved by Caltrans. The applicant, Brad Sobel, said the project includes two potential cross‑access aisles designed to allow future connectivity if adjoining parcels align their driveways.

Neighborhood protections and conditions: Residents asked about noise, delivery hours and trash pickup. A resident who identified herself as Olivia Fernandez said she lives behind the planned development and raised concerns about pickup and delivery schedules and late‑night noise. Applicant Brad Sobel said Tractor Supply typically closes by 9 PM, most deliveries occur in daytime hours, and the ownership is amenable to conditioning delivery and truck hours. Commissioners added a condition limiting deliveries and similar activities to 7 AM–10 PM as part of the approval.

Quotes: "We think that this is a terrific project and Tractor is very excited about coming to Riverbank," applicant Brad Sobel said, describing architectural upgrades and attention to the project's relationship with nearby residences. "So our water, it's pretty bad," Norma Rauza told the commission during general public comment on an unrelated service issue (on the record but not acted on at this hearing).

Next steps: The entitlements adopted Dec. 17 allow the developer to proceed to any remaining ministerial or administrative approvals (building permits, tenant improvements and state licensing for alcohol sales where required). The conditional use permit is an entitlement that the city can revoke if conditions of approval are not met; any tenant that will sell alcohol must still obtain state licensing.