Applicant urges planning commission to forward Lodi-area land-use change; commission continues amendment after city-notice error

The San Joaquin County Planning Commission on the evening it met voted to continue a countywide general-plan text amendment and a related land-use permit after staff said several cities received late notification, preventing staff from making the findings required to approve the permit.

Robert Beetles, the applicant for proposals identified in the hearing as PA2500411 and PA2500412, told the commission he owns a 1.1-acre parcel at 5440 East Harney Lane and urged the commissioners not to postpone the items. "The city of Lodi filed a letter today saying that my parcel is within Lodi's sphere of influence and Lodi is the only city with jurisdictional standing over this property," Beetles said, noting Lodi "does not oppose my project" and that Lodi’s general plan already designates the site as a business park that allows the uses he proposed. He described the project as converting an existing 5,500-square-foot building to administrative office space, adding a 4,000-square-foot storage building, proposing dense landscaping and a screen fence, and employing about 13 people with roughly one delivery per day during 8 a.m.–4 p.m. Monday–Friday. Beetles added the project has an…