Yucaipa planning commission approves facade refresh and loading‑zone conversion at former Rite Aid with screening conditions

The Yucaipa Planning Commission voted 5‑0 on July 15 to approve PLNARC26‑004, an architectural review that will modernize the frontage of the vacant 22,000‑square‑foot former Rite Aid at 34420 Yucaipa Boulevard and convert its drive‑through into a recessed loading zone. Commissioner Hicks moved to approve the changes with a condition that a masonry wall be high enough to screen trucks and trailers from the street, match the building, and include gates if feasible; the motion was seconded and carried unanimously.

Tam Burke, the city’s development services technician, told the commission the proposal includes repainting the front and side facades with warm tan tones and contrast at the base, replacing the projecting entrance canopy with illuminated Burlington‑red panels, adding cleat coping at the top of the building and preparing a pronounced area for future retail signage; signage will require separate building permits. Burke said the plan also removes the existing drive‑through canopy and columns and repurposes that area into a loading bay, accompanied by landscape improvements along Yucaipa Boulevard. “My name is Tam Burke. I am the development services technician here at the city of Yucaipa,” Burke said during the presentation.

Applicant representative Sammy Salem said the loading dock is critical to attract a “class A” tenant to the 22,000‑square‑foot space and described plans for a concrete masonry wall and expanded landscaping to screen operations from the boulevard. “No other retailer will really take this space without that loading dock,” Salem said, adding the applicant would construct the wall and work with the city’s contract landscape architect on planting and screening.

Commissioners pressed for additional detail on the street‑facing elevation and the height of screening. The packet as submitted included only a site plan and not detailed elevations for the boulevard‑facing side, and staff confirmed the final elevation drawings will be required as part of the permit process. Staff measured the existing planting strip between the sidewalk and parking at about 12 feet and said the design would widen that area, with final geometry expected to yield roughly 15–25 feet for planting depending on driveway radius.

Commissioner Hicks said screening a full trailer would likely require roughly 13–14 feet of wall height and asked whether gates would be installed; Salem and staff said a gate for security was likely and that wall and landscape materials would match the revised building façade. “I’m fully supportive of anything that you can do, you know, to get a tenant in them,” Hicks said, while emphasizing the need for sufficient height to conceal trailers.

The approval includes the conditions discussed at the hearing: the masonry wall must be high enough to screen trailers from Yucaipa Boulevard, the finished wall should be consistent with the building materials and colors, and gates should be added if feasible. The commission recorded the vote as 5‑0.

Votes at a glance: the consent agenda was approved earlier in the meeting (motion carried 5‑0). The commission also continued the Oakland Creek specific‑plan item (case PLNPDE20) to the Aug. 19, 2026 hearing; that continuance passed 5‑0.

Next steps: staff and the applicant will submit final elevation drawings, detailed landscape plans and any sign permits required for review and building permit processing. The commission requested that future submittals include a clear south (boulevard‑facing) elevation so commissioners can verify screening and visual compatibility prior to permit approval.