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 commission's decision recommends Project U26-0012, an administrative permit for a minor amendment to a previously approved development plan and design review, for consideration by the Board of Supervisors. Commissioner Karri Campbell was excused from the vote.
The project, proposed by PDC Norcal, LLC, is slated for development on a 10-acre parcel located at 7234 Pacific Ave., approximately 0.4 miles south of Sankey Road, on the east side of the road. According to the Planning Commission agenda packet, the facility will be a single-story warehouse designed to receive, distribute, and sell equipment parts. It will also serve as a location for building hoses and dispatching field technicians.
This new facility aims to relocate Holt’s existing warehouse operation along with its 34 parts and field employees from an adjoining property at 7310 Pacific Ave. County staff indicated that the proposal does not intend to increase staffing levels or expand overall operations. The building's interior plan includes approximately 9,950 square feet dedicated to office space and 949 square feet for restrooms, with the remaining significant portion allocated to warehouse operations and related functions.
Parking provisions for the development specify 51 spaces, which is less than the 65 spaces typically 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.
The project is subject to several conditions before commercial use. These include the dedication of an additional 18.5 feet of Pacific Avenue right of way, a final review of access, grading, and drainage plans, and the execution of a Roadway Impact Fee Agreement. County engineering staff have also determined that the project will be responsible for a 20% fair-share contribution toward future traffic signal and related intersection improvements at Pacific Avenue and Riego Road.
Environmental considerations also inform the project's requirements. The northern section of the site is situated within FEMA flood zones A and A99. Consequently, the project must adhere to both county and FEMA floodplain requirements. The applicant is mandated to submit a final drainage study and provide retention or detention facilities. These facilities must be designed to ensure that post-project discharge rates do not exceed pre-project conditions for 10-year and 100-year storms. Furthermore, given that construction will disturb more than an acre of land, the applicant is required to obtain coverage under the state construction stormwater permit and implement a comprehensive Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan.
The Planning Commission’s minutes record the project as exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The agenda packet clarifies that this exemption is based on the premise that the warehouse is replacing Holt’s existing operation with substantially the same purpose and operational capacity, without any increase in staffing or expansion of operations. While the commission’s vote serves as a recommendation for the Board of Supervisors, the materials reviewed for this story did not specify a date for a Board hearing.
