Kern County planners approve Lynn Trucking travel center with larger highway sign after adopting mitigated negative declaration

The Kern County Planning Commission approved a conditional use permit and a zone variance for the Lynn Trucking Inc. travel center at the Interstate 5/Stockdale Highway interchange after staff presented an initial study with a proposed mitigated negative declaration and mitigation measures.

Planner April Wentworth told commissioners the project would develop 16.28 acres and include a 60‑room hotel, a convenience store with a drive‑through, a fueling island with seven diesel truck pumps and 16 standard vehicle pumps, a truck repair facility, two tunnel truck‑wash bays, propane service for RVs, underground gasoline storage and aboveground diesel tanks, 11 truck parking spaces and 223 standard vehicle parking spaces. Staff said the initial study concluded impacts would be less than significant with the mitigation measures included in the draft mitigation monitoring and reporting program and recommended approval of the IS/MND, the CUP and the zone variance subject to conditions and findings in the draft resolutions.

Wentworth also said staff and the applicant revised mitigation measure language to increase electric vehicle infrastructure: the project’s originally proposed 18 EV chargers was raised to a minimum of 23 chargers (a mix of level 2 and level 3 chargers and three level 1 chargers) following discussions with the Sierra Club and the applicant. She noted the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District and the Sierra Club submitted comments raising concerns about air quality, greenhouse gas emissions and continued development of fueling and industrial facilities in the region; staff said the IS/MND and mitigation measures would address construction and operational air quality and related impacts.

Matthew Lanzer of KCI Engineering, speaking as the applicant’s substitute surveyor, described traveler amenities and safety benefits and urged approval. "As a person that owns an EV, I can tell you that charging at charging stations is a nightmare," Lanzer said, arguing that more chargers and on‑site facilities would improve long corridor travel and support truck operators who use nearby CHP facilities.

The commission voted to approve the project as presented. The clerk recorded the vote as "3 ayes, 2 absent," and the chair announced the motion carried. Mr. Murphy then read appeal instructions to the public, stating appeals must be filed at the Kern County Planning and Natural Resources Department with a $562 filing fee within 14 days of the hearing date.

The approved entitlements include the conditional use permit, the zone variance for a 75‑foot tall sign with a 560‑square‑foot face area (where 35 feet and 240 square feet are normally permitted), and the mitigation monitoring and reporting program. Staff said the project must comply with all applicable federal, state, regional and local regulations and with the conditions of approval specified in the draft resolutions. The commission closed the item after the vote and restated the right to appeal.