The Sutter County Planning Commission voted 5-0 on August 19 to advance a proposed 130,219-square-foot warehouse for Holt of California near Pleasant Grove. The project, officially designated Project U26-0012, now moves to the Board of Supervisors for final consideration. Commissioner Karri Campbell was excused from the vote. This action represents an administrative permit for a minor amendment to a development plan and design review that was previously approved.
The proposed facility, put forward by PDC Norcal, LLC, is planned for a 10-acre parcel located at 7234 Pacific Ave. This site is situated on the east side of the road, approximately 0.4 miles south of Sankey Road, as detailed in the Planning Commission agenda packet. The document describes a single-story warehouse intended to receive, distribute, and sell equipment parts, in addition to building hoses and dispatching field technicians.
This new facility is set to relocate Holt’s existing warehouse operation and its 34 parts and field employees from an adjoining property at 7310 Pacific Ave. County staff confirmed that the proposal would not result in an increase in staffing levels or an expansion of current operations. The building design incorporates approximately 9,950 square feet of office space and 949 square feet dedicated to restrooms, with the remaining area allocated to warehouse functions and related activities.
The development plan includes a provision for 51 parking spaces. This figure is less than the 65 spaces that would typically be required under the county’s standard warehouse parking ratio. The approved project-specific plan details 35 standard parking spaces, three accessible spaces, and 13 spaces designated to fulfill electric-vehicle parking requirements, according to the agenda packet.
Conditions tied to the project’s advancement include the dedication of an additional 18.5 feet of Pacific Avenue right-of-way. Furthermore, final review of access, grading, and drainage plans must be completed, and a Roadway Impact Fee Agreement must be executed before the warehouse can be used commercially. County engineering staff determined that the project would be responsible for a 20% fair-share contribution towards the cost of a future traffic signal and associated intersection improvements at Pacific Avenue and Riego Road.
The northern section of the project site is located within FEMA flood zones A and A99. Consequently, the project must adhere to both county and FEMA floodplain requirements. This includes submitting a final drainage study and providing retention or detention facilities. These facilities must be designed to ensure that post-project discharge rates remain at or below pre-project conditions for both 10-year and 100-year storm events. Given that construction activities are projected to disturb more than an acre of land, the applicant is also required to obtain coverage under the state construction stormwater permit and implement a Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan.
The commission’s minutes record that the project is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act. The agenda packet indicates that this exemption is based on the warehouse replacing Holt’s existing operation with substantially the same purpose and operational capacity, without an increase in staffing or expanded operations. The Planning Commission’s vote serves as a recommendation for action by the Board of Supervisors; however, the materials reviewed for this report did not identify a specific hearing date for the Board.
