The Project Review Committee on Oct. 8 reviewed a proposed commercial center at 2401 West Olive Avenue that would include five buildings totaling about 32,950 square feet and three fast‑food restaurants alongside two retail shop buildings.

Oscar Cepeda, chairperson of the Project Review Committee and an associate planner in the planning division, said the site is zoned CR (retail centers) and that staff will send a formal PRC comment letter to the applicant in two to three weeks. "The project is proposing five total buildings, for a total of 32,950 square feet," Cepeda said while presenting the site plan, which staff noted was not to scale.

Why it matters: the site borders residential property and staff identified several mandatory standards that must be met before the project advances — landscaping buffers adjacent to residences, pedestrian walkways connecting buildings, parking set back a minimum of 5 feet with an additional 5‑foot planter area, and code‑required trash enclosures and lighting.

Planning staff told the committee the center meets the threshold for a "commercial center" because it contains four or more mixed commercial uses. Staff highlighted parking and circulation requirements: retail is calculated at one parking stall per 250 square feet of retail area and restaurants at one per 75 square feet of seating; drive‑through restaurants must provide a minimum of six queued vehicles from the menu board. Cepeda said the submitted plan appears to provide more parking than code requires but that exact stall dimensions were not verifiable because the plan was not to scale.

Fire-safety and building requirements were flagged as key design constraints. Fire Marshal Clayton Dignam said hydrants must be laid so no hose stretch exceeds 300 feet and that the proposed 16,000‑square‑foot building will need automatic sprinklers unless it is separated into smaller fire areas (for example, two structures separated by 12 feet or a rated wall). "Otherwise, that building will be required to be sprinklered," Dignam said. If a building is sprinklered, he said, the fire department connection must be at least 40 feet from the building and within 50 feet of a functioning hydrant; sprinkler systems also must be monitored.

Javier Sanchez, engineering and project management director, said sewer, water and storm drain are available for tie‑in and that driveway spacing and circulation generally look acceptable, though staff recommended closing or shifting one drive to avoid vehicles stacking into the main drive aisle. Sanchez also told the committee the city is coordinating with the county on a joint project to widen the Avenue 152 bridge and to make improvements on Olive Avenue between Westwood and the bridge. He said if the city‑county project proceeds within roughly two years, private‑development applicants may face a payback requirement for concrete improvements tied to that larger capital project.

Building division staff advised the applicant to obtain demolition permits for existing structures before moving forward. Public Works staff said the development will need backflow prevention devices on all water services and fire‑suppression equipment and a separate meter and backflow device for landscape irrigation so customers are billed only for wastewater entering the sewer. Water‑division staff added that fast‑food restaurants must install grease traps or grease interceptors. Refuse staff indicated three‑bin enclosure specifications will apply and that refuse details will be included in the written PRC comments.

Economic development staff welcomed the applicant to Porterville and offered to follow up directly. Committee staff closed the meeting after there were no applicant questions; Cepeda said the PRC comment letter will be mailed to the applicant in two to three weeks. The Project Review Committee adjourned at 1:53 p.m.