Nevada County planning commission backs Holiday Market project with traffic, tree mitigations and native-plant conditions

The Nevada County Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend that the Board of Supervisors approve a proposed Holiday Market (North State Grocery) and associated land‑use changes after a public hearing that focused heavily on traffic, evacuation risk and tree mitigation.

Steve Geiger, senior planner, told commissioners the project would build a 30,711‑square‑foot grocery on a 5.5‑acre parcel east of Pleasant Valley Road, reallocate about 1.9 acres of industrial land to neighborhood commercial (resulting in roughly 4.3 acres of commercial and 1.2 acres of industrial), and provide 158 parking spaces where 154 are required. Geiger said the project is the subject of an initial study and mitigated negative declaration under the California Environmental Quality Act and that staff has proposed conditions and mitigation measures to address environmental and traffic impacts.

Why it matters: residents and first responders said the Pleasant Valley Road/Highway 20 area already has recurring congestion during peak travel and past wildfire evacuations. Commissioners balanced those concerns against staff findings that identified specific mitigation steps — restriping approaches, site‑level traffic controls, a local transportation mitigation fee and limits on truck deliveries — and recommended approval with additional direction to refine striping and landscaping.

Traffic and mitigation: the project’s traffic study, prepared by GHD and updated with counts taken on Oct. 21, found that four of five studied intersections would operate at acceptable levels with the project but that the Pleasant Valley Road/Commercial Avenue intersection could decline to Level of Service E in the PM peak without mitigation. To address that, the project will require restriping on Commercial Avenue (to create a left/through combined lane and a separate right‑turn lane), off‑peak restrictions and signage for heavy trucks, and payment of a local transportation mitigation fee — estimated in the hearing at roughly $300,000–$307,000 — to be applied toward future intersection improvements coordinated with Caltrans.

Applicant’s case: Richie Morgan, chairman of North State Grocery, said the company has served Lake Wildwood and surrounding communities for decades and needs a larger, safer store with separate truck circulation and more parking to improve service. Morgan also clarified that an on‑site branded coffee operation would be a licensed, company‑operated outlet rather than a Starbucks‑owned store.

Environmental and tree mitigation: staff identified eight ‘landmark’ oak trees on the parcel; five would be removed for the building and improvements. The applicant is required to mitigate tree loss through payment into an in‑lieu mitigation fund administered by the Bay Area Yuba Land Trust, and the commission recommended approval of the Oak Resources Management Plan as proposed, with the condition to pursue native plantings where feasible. The project proposes roughly 39% of the site as open space (the county minimum is 15%).

Public comment: speakers were divided. Chris Styles, an attorney for the Lake Wildwood Association, urged that the IS‑MND be set aside and an Environmental Impact Report prepared, saying, “This project requires an EIR. This community deserves an EIR,” and argued the traffic and other analyses contained “holes” that undercount unique local travel patterns. Outside counsel for the applicant, Braden Chadwick, said the administrative record supports the MND and that identified mitigation measures would avoid significant impacts. Multiple residents and Firewise representatives emphasized evacuation risk based on experience from prior fires; Ed Keegan said past evacuations showed Pleasant Valley Road and the Highway 20 intersection can fail under duress and asked that intersection improvements be prioritized.

Planning commission action: Commissioner (speaker 10) moved to recommend adoption of the mitigated negative declaration and the mitigation monitoring program and to recommend approval of the general plan amendment, rezone, Oak Resources Management Plan and development permit subject to staff conditions. The motion included an amendment asking the Board of Supervisors to consider additional striping on Pleasant Valley Road to clarify left/right movements, and for the applicant to maximize native landscaping and protect the rear portion of the parcel during construction. The commission recorded unanimous yes votes on all actions.

What happens next: the Planning Commission’s recommendations will be forwarded to the Board of Supervisors for final action. Staff said the applicant must complete the conditions and mitigation measures — including restriping, final photometric plans showing zero light spillage, a management plan for tree mitigation, and payment of mitigation fees — before issuance of occupancy certificates or as otherwise required in the conditions of approval.

Quote that frames the debate: "There will be traffic. There will be issues with trucks," said Chris Styles for the Lake Wildwood Association, arguing for an EIR. County staff and the applicant countered that identified mitigations and fee contributions will address the measurable impacts and help fund longer‑term intersection improvements.

The commission closed the hearing and directed staff to forward the record and the commission’s recommendations to the Board of Supervisors.