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Council continues Maverik fueling-station appeal amid CEQA and traffic concerns; commissioner recuses
Summary
The public hearing on a conditional use permit for a Maverik fueling station was opened and continued to an undetermined date after the council member who sat on the planning commission recused. The applicant’s attorney said staff’s environmental findings lack supporting evidence and members of the public cited traffic-safety concerns at the Mitchell Road interchange.
The Ceres City Council opened a public hearing April 14 on an appeal of a planning commission approval for a Maverik (Maverick) fueling station but continued the item to an undetermined date after a council member recused because of prior participation on the planning commission.
Diane Kinderman, an attorney representing the applicant, told the council she had three primary concerns: the staff report’s environmental findings are not substantiated with supporting evidence; the staff relied on documents that are project-specific rather than programmatic for the stated consistency findings; and the traffic study provided to staff was dated after the commission’s approval and therefore cannot be used to support the earlier decision. “The staff report… its conclusions, its findings are not substantiated with any evidence to support their findings,” Kinderman said.
Members of the public raised traffic-safety concerns at the Mitchell Road interchange, including testimony that trucks back up into intersections and that speed and sightlines on the adjacent county road make site access hazardous for large vehicles. One local business representative said changes to medians and an unfinished overpass are causing congestion and accidents at nearby driveways.
Council recused a member who had sat on the planning commission for the prior decision and opened the record for public comment; after hearing input the council continued the hearing to a later, undetermined date to allow further review and to receive additional materials.
Next steps: staff will reschedule the public hearing and include any newly requested documents in the public record; if the applicant chooses to amend the project, that submission will be included in the record for any future decision.
