Planning commission approves temporary recycling container at Mitchell Road amid traffic concerns

The Ceres Planning Commission on Tuesday approved Administrative Use Permit 2533 to allow a small recycling collection container of up to 500 square feet at 1821 Mitchell Road, with a staff condition requiring a one‑year evaluation after final inspection.

Kelsey George, contract planner, said the unit would operate within the paved parking lot of an existing commercial center that includes a gas station and convenience store and described the request as an accessory use permitted in the highway commercial zone. George told commissioners the project was eligible for a categorical exemption under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) — section 15332 (infill) — and that staff had added a condition allowing staff to decide whether to renew the permit one year after final inspection.

During public comment, Don Warren of the City of Ceres said the proposed location would conflict with automobile traffic and remove parking. "You're putting it in direct conflict with automobile traffic," Warren said, adding many users of these sites arrive on foot, by bicycle, or pulling wagons and that the site is close to a car wash and active gas pumps.

A staff member responding to the comment said the container would not be permanently affixed, would require a building permit, and was proposed to occupy three parking stalls in what staff described as an "overparked" center, so the stalls would not reduce the site's required parking. Staff reiterated the one‑year renewal condition so the location could be reevaluated if operations caused conflicts.

The motion to approve AUP 2533 passed on a 3–0 roll call vote (Commissioners Jamu and Perez and the chair voting yes). The permit approval is valid for one year after final inspection, at which point staff will determine whether to renew the permit.