BY ALEX CANTATORE
A mildly contentious proposed commercial center at 1400 West Main St. won the approval of the Planning Commission on Thursday evening.
The plan calls for the renovation of two warehouse buildings into a wedding hall, an entertainment and events center, an ice cream warehouse and parlor, and other retail space. The development is expected to cater to the Hispanic community.
“I attend at least five weddings a year for my family and we always have to go look at Atwater, at other towns away from here because we feel like Turlock doesn’t have something economical and something that is targeted for our community,” said Celia Fuentes-Sanchez.
The 6,000 square foot wedding facility is expected to open only on Saturdays and Sundays, while the 12,500 square foot events center is expected to host business meetings and festivals on Tuesday through Saturday evenings.
The Planning Commission embraced the development, but the Turlock Police Department expressed concerns with plans to allow both live performers and the sale of alcohol at the event center and wedding facility. The TPD universal conditions for approval do not allow for both forms of entertainment to coexist due to concerns of increased calls for police service.
The Planning Commission ultimately broke with the TPD request to instead approve live entertainment for the proposed venues only if a caterer’s alcohol license is obtained. The move is intended to prevent a nightclub or bar from opening in the new development, while allowing for traditional cultural music at weddings and festivals.
The plan will go before the Turlock City Council for final approval.
Large family daycare providers object to proposed regulations
A Planning Commission initiative to institute new rules governing large family daycares, those caring for eight to 14 children, was put on hold Thursday evening as several daycare providers voiced concern with the planned rules.
The proposed new ordinance would prevent new large family daycares from opening within 300 feet of existing providers, place new restrictions on parking spaces, play areas, and the conversion of garages for daycare use, and require such daycares to pay business license fees.
Existing large family daycares would be exempt from the new ordinance, save for the required business licenses.
According to daycare operator Pam Clark, who has been in the business for 24 years, Turlock plays host to only 21 large family daycares, despite the city’s 20,000 households. With the industry already suffering from demand that far exceeds capacity, any closures by providers who find the new rules too onerous could detrimentally impact the Turlock community.
“We want to make sure we create an environment where we still have daycare,” said Mike Brem, chairman of the Planning Commission.
The Planning Commission will reexamine the proposed changes in response to the daycare providers’ feedback, possibly holding a workshop in the coming months for additional input. The issue could come before the commission again as soon as June 4, though commissioners expressed a desire to carefully work with local daycares and the Local Childcare Planning Council to craft a mutually agreeable ordinance before taking any further action.
Massive memorial park sign sent back to drawing board
A plan to install a 20-foot tall identification and directional sign for the Turlock Memorial Park and Funeral Home on West Main Street was continued to the June 4 meeting for further information.
The 46 square foot, internally illuminated sign was designed to be visible to drivers traveling both east and westbound on West Main Street. Memorial Park staff stated the sign was crucial to notify funeral attendees that entrance to the facility is located on Soderquist Avenue.
Planning staff did not believe that the sign, as designed, conformed to the City of Turlock design guidelines or the General Plan. Memorial Park representatives objected to a Planning Department proposal to mount a sign on the existing rod-iron fence, stating that such a sign would not be easily visible to passersby and could cause traffic incidents as drivers turned their head to read the sign.
The Planning Commission asked the Memorial Park to return with sight line drawings, showing how visible the sign would be from West Main Street, before making a final decision on the proposal. The Commission also asked the sign designers to investigate making the sign shorter, to consider using external versus internal illumination, and to emphasize the directional component of the sign over the identification portion.
The issue is expected to come before the Planning Commission again on June 4.
Public Safety Communication Tower decision delayed
While expected to approve the final design and rendering of the proposed Public Safety Facility Communication Tower on Thursday evening, the Planning Commission instead continued the discussion to their June 4 meeting.
The continuance came at the request of the tower’s architect, who asked to resubmit the design and rendering along with further information about the proposal.
Cargo containers on
Planning Commission radar
The Planning Commission unanimously agreed to begin holding workshops to draft a new zoning ordinance to create development standards for cargo containers.
Art Seeger, owner of Seeger’s Printing, had approached the Planning Commission at their April 2 meeting requesting that the city implement guidelines for the use of cargo containers. Seeger recommended that containers be permitted, vented, have approval from all connected businesses, have a door on the side, be painted to blend in with surroundings, and have approved cargo locking on corners for stacking.
The Planning Commission has not yet set a date to take action on this issue.
To contact Alex Cantatore, e-mail acantatore@turlockjournal.com or call 634-9141 ext. 2005.
Originally published in the Turlock Journal 5/8/2009.
Retrieved from the Turlock Journal Web site.