The agenda for the next Rio Linda/Elverta Community Planning Advisory Council (CPAC) meeting was distributed yesterday, and after a long summer and fall muted by COVID concerns, there are three new significant proposals for review at the Decmebr 17th meeting.
New Construction?
First and foremost on the agenda is the possibility of a convenience store/gas station/car wash being built on the southwest corner of Elkhorn Boulevard and Marysville Boulevard; the awkward angled intersection with the traffic signal that should have been placed at Elkhorn and West 2nd.
The CPAC agenda says that this is an early CPAC Workshop To Discuss Three Potential Layouts Involving An Automobile Service Station And Convenience Store Proposal.
Layout 1 Proposes An Automobile Service Station, Convenience Store And Drive-Through Car Wash.
Layout 2 Proposes An Automobile Service Station, Convenience Store, And Additional Commercial Building.
Layout 3 Proposes Solely An Automobile Service Station And Convenience Store.
The property owner is shawn as “Rio Linda Holdings, LLC.” with an address at McClellan.
Please Note That This Project Is Scheduled As A Workshop Item And Is For Information Sharing Purposes Only. No Formal Application Has Been Filed With The Office Of Planning And Environmental Review. The Applicant Would Like To Solicit Preliminary Comments And Suggestions From The Community.
The link to the project on the Sac County planning website is: https://planningdocuments.saccounty.net/projectdetails.aspx?projectID=7275&communityID=8
RCI Plumbing
The second item on the agenda is another early CPAC workshop to discuss a proposal to rezone the 5.15-Acre Lot colloquially known as “The Silos” from IR (Interim Agricultural Reserve) To M-1 (Light Industrial) and awarding a use permit for use of the property as a new headquarters for R.C.I. Plumbing And General Contractors. The property owner is shown as Big Valley Syndicate LLC., with a contact person as Dan Risse at 651 M Street.
This will allow RCI to vacate the McMillan building which they have occupied on M Street for many years.
There will also be a design review for the construction of a new four-story office building, new warehouse building, and outdoor service yard. The renderings of the new office building and restored grain silos are very nice, and a great example of adaptive re-use by RCI. This is a great project for our community that respects our roots while looking toward the future. Every development project in our area should look at this as an example. Very nice project, indeed.
This project is also a workshop item only.
The link to the project is here: https://planningdocuments.saccounty.net/ViewProjectDetails.aspx?ControlNum=PLNP2020-00273
Hickory Hanks Barbecue
We’re all familiar with Hickory Hanks. Best barbecue in town. The Friday lunch spot. Good food, licensed and permitted by Sacramento County… Except… it’s being operated in an AR-2 (Ag/Res) zone, not a commercial zone.
The thing is, in 2011 Sacramento County gave Hickory Hank a Commercial Use Permit for a bed and breakfast and a private social center (to rent to private groups/individuals for weddings, receptions, fund-raisers and other private functions, which included the kitchen facilities.) Separate and apart from these activities Mr. Virga operated a catering business that utilized the kitchen facility on the property. A take-out window was opened on the site to sell BBQ and promote the catering business, and the rest is history.
Then, there was COVID.
Since COVID, Hickory Hank’s catering business has evaporated and he has had to turn to the take-out window as his primary source of income. The take-out window is open several days a week and business fluctuates based on demand.
All physical improvements to the site, including driveway access to Elkhorn Blvd, parking lot, and the kitchen facility have been built and are fully permitted by the County of Sacramento and are consistent with the prior approved permit.
Until this year, Hickory Hank Virga maintained a General Business License for Catering Services and a Commercial Kitchen (Inspected and Certified by County Environmental Health).
However, in the midst of a world turned upside down by COVID and a horrific situation for restaurants and caterers throughout the County, the painfully tone-deaf Sacramento County Planning Department has informed Hickory Hank that in order to continue operating his business at this location, land use designation changes are necessary.
Hickory Hanks is seeking early feedback from the Rio Linda Elverta CPAC on a proposal seeking the following land use entitlements: General Plan Amendment (Commercial), Community Plan Amendment (Limited Commercial) as well as a Rezone (Limited Commercial) for a portion of the subject property (approx. 0.87 ac.) The remainder of the property will remain AR-2 (approx. 1.76). Exhibits accompany this submittal for additional reference.
The purpose of the planning application is to allow Hickory Hank’s BBQ to continue to serve the Rio Linda-Elverta community and to provide for Mr. Virga’s family. The costs of seeking these land-use changes are significant and Mr. Virga is mortgaging his home to pay for the associated County fees. Early feedback is requested from the Rio Linda Elverta CPAC to inform Mr. Virga’s ultimate decision to move forward or not.
Please Note That This Project Is Scheduled As A Workshop Item And Is For Information Sharing Purposes Only. No Formal application Has Been Filed With The Office Of Planning And Environmental Review. The Applicant Would Like To Solicit Preliminary Comments And Suggestions From The Community.
The link to this issue is here: https://planningdocuments.saccounty.net/ViewProjectDetails.aspx?ControlNum=PLNP2020-00280
The Rio Linda Elverta CPAC meeting will be held on Thursday, December 17th at 7pm.
In compliance with directives of the County, State, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this meeting is live-streamed and closed to public attendance. Meeting procedures are subject to change pursuant to guidelines related to social distancing and minimizing person-to-person contact.
Make a verbal public comment during the meeting.
The public comment phone line will open 15-minutes prior to the start of the meeting. Refer to the agenda and listen to the live meeting to determine when is the best time to call to be placed in queue to make a public comment. Callers may be on hold for up to an extended period of time and should plan accordingly. Dial (916) 875-2500 and follow the prompts to be placed in queue for a specific agenda item or off-agenda matter.
When the Chair opens public comment for a specific agenda item or off-agenda matter, callers will be transferred from the queue into the meeting to make a verbal comment. Each agenda item queue will remain open until the public comment period is closed for that specific item.
To make a written comment:
- Send an email comment to BoardClerk@saccounty.net. Include meeting date and agenda item number or off-agenda item. Contact information is optional.
- Mail a comment to 700 H Street, Suite 2450, Sacramento, CA 95814. Include meeting date and agenda item number or off-agenda item. Contact information is optional.
- Written comments are distributed to members, filed in the record, and will not be read aloud.
VIEW MEETING
The meeting will be streamed live through BlueJeans Events. Members of the public may watch and/or listen to the meeting as follows:
- Video/Audio from a PC: https://primetime.bluejeans.com/a2m/liveevent/ujgrrwrx
- Video/Audio from a mobile device: https://primetime.bluejeans.com/a2m/liveevent/ujgrrwrx (Enter Event ID Code: ujgrrwrx)
- Teleconference (audio only) dial: (415) 466-7000 (Enter PIN Code: 5225938#)
