At its Aug. 14 meeting, the Los Banos Planning Commission approved the site plan review for the replacement of the animal shelter offices. It also received a report on the second Dutch Brothers Coffee to be built as a tenant of Ono Hawaiian BBQ and a progress report on El Pollo Loco.
Vice Chair Christopher Perrecone led a quorum of Commissioners Kathy Uhley, Elias Reyes and Rob Robinson. According to Associate Planner Justin Raguntun’s report, the animal shelter office replacement will be 24 feet by 60 feet with 1,440 square feet of space.
The building will have an office, waiting area, reception, volunteer/reception area, adoption room, medical room, cat holding room, washer/dryer room, a staff restroom and a kitchen.
The building will be built exactly where the current modular office sits at 1010 Airport Road. The colors of the building include canvas tan for the body and loyal blue for the trim.
Commissioner Uhley asked staff members if there would be decorations or shade for the front entrance. City Engineer Charles Bergson clarified that an awning would provide shade for the entrance.
Bergson also noted that while there would not be decorations on the building, there would be landscape improvements around it. The improvements mentioned were a staff rest area in the back and a striped parking lot in the front of the building.
During the public forum, the animal shelter office received support from Blanche Jorge, a longtime volunteer at the shelter and advocate for animals in Los Banos.
“It’s a beautiful thing to see, and the progress is wonderful,” Jorge said.
The site plan for the new building and removal of the old one, having met California Environmental Quality Act requirements, got unanimous approval by the commission.
In his report, Commissioner Reyes said the shelter was a “long time coming.” Commissioner Uhley stated in her report, “I am so stoked about the animal shelter office finally moving forward. It’s just really awesome.” Vice Chair Perrecone and Commissioner Robinson also supported the shelter in their reports.
Community and Economic Development Director Stacy Elms gave a report on the Ono Hawaiian BBQ to be built in the Stonecreek Plaza.
According to Elms, the project consists of two restaurants on two pads, with Ono Hawaiian BBQ on the east pad and a tenant on the west pad. Both will have a drive-through.
Ono Hawaiian BBQ had delayed construction until finding a tenant. The new tenant will be the city’s second Dutch Brothers location.
The Dutch Brothers location will take up 950 square feet, maintain design elements approved in 2022 and not need a separate approval, according to Elms.
The project is at an empty plot west of Dollar Tree and Petco in Stonecreek Plaza. Commissioner Robinson asked if the two restaurants would be built simultaneously. Elms could not guarantee it but said, “At this moment, they are lining up really closely, and I hope that they do.”
In her report, Elms addressed online rumors that the El Pollo Loco project at the north side of the Ross parking lot was going to proceed. Elms clarified, “They are moving forward. They just obtained their building permit. El Pollo Loco is happening.”
Elms made it clear that, at this point, the planning process of this project is only “page one, chapter one of a large novel.”
Continuing her point, she said, “For various reasons, projects get stalled, not for lack of our trying. It could be for financial reasons, [or] it could be for trades. It’s a multitude of various variables that can stall a project.
“We, the city, can only move as fast as the applicant moves,” Elms said. “If the applicant receives a plan check but takes five months to respond, the city can only move at that speed.”
The city plans to debut a new permitting and licensing program next month that will allow residents to view the status of projects like El Pollo Loco. The system, designed by Tyler Technologies, will show the current status of projects in the city and allow businesses to apply online.
After the meeting, Elms told the Westside Express that with the program online, residents can see the “status update of projects in real-time.”
Elms also highlighted the progress of the Camarena Healthcare facility and the opening of Jams@209 and Blue Agave. Elms also alluded to new businesses coming into the Stonecreek Plaza.
In his report, Commissioner Robinson thanked the Express for informing the public and asked for information regarding the California Garlic Festival set to come at the end of the month.
Elms could not say much more but did clarify that the organizers have gotten their special event permit. Vice Chair Perrecone adjourned the meeting at 6:33 p.m.
