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Council denies appeal, upholds approval of vesting tentative tract map 7500
Summary
Bakersfield City Council rejected an environmental appeal and upheld Planning Commission approval for vesting tentative tract map 7500, allowing a proposed 208-lot single-family subdivision to proceed under the existing mitigated negative declaration, subject to conditions.
The City Council on Aug. 5 denied an appeal from SAFER (Supporters Alliance for Environmental Responsibility) and upheld the Planning Commission’s approval of vesting tentative tract map 7500, a proposed subdivision of roughly 39.92 acres into 208 single-family lots at the northeast corner of Old River Road and McCutcheon Road.
Attorney Victoria Yunt, speaking for SAFER, argued that the project’s certified 2007 mitigated negative declaration (MND) relied on a Habitat Conservation Plan that expired in 2023 and that new biological surveys, air-quality modeling and an updated greenhouse-gas analysis are required under CEQA. “The primary mitigation measure relied upon in the 2007 MND no longer exists,” Yunt told the council, asking for a project-specific EIR.
The applicant’s planner and counsel disputed that conclusion, citing updated surveys from 2024–25 and arguing the project remains consistent with the city’s long-range land-use decisions. Blaine Neptune of McIntosh & Associates said the property was previously redesignated for low-density residential uses and that “this evening, we are simply asking to allow residentially designated and residentially zoned property to move forward.” After considering supplemental letters and staff analysis, the council voted unanimously to deny the appeal and uphold the Planning Commission’s decision, enabling the project to proceed under the existing MND subject to standard conditions and any required preconstruction surveys.
