Shafter Commission approves storage for store, drive-up pharmacy

The Shafter Planning Commission approved conditional use permits for businesses looking to improve and expand their services in the city.

The owners of True Value Hardware are looking to construct a fenced-in area in their parking lot that would house soil, lumber and materials. This would be additional storage space only and would not be a part of the retail store. Asked if customers would be allowed in the fenced-in area, applicant Yahya Mohamed said, "No, no customers would be allowed in that area. It is for storage purposes only." The commission did put restrictions on the permit, saying that the fence could be no taller than 6 feet tall and must have privacy slats installed on the fencing.

The project would mean the property would lose approximately 10 existing parking spaces.

The commission Tuesday night approved the project.

The panel also approved a request by Omni Health Organization to add a 150-square-foot drive-thru pharmacy on their existing medical facility. There are three existing buildings on site being used as medical clinics. This drive-thru would be constructed on the most southerly building, with the address of 667 S. Central Valley Hwy. Additional parking spaces and vehicle access to the site also will be constructed.

When asked if the drive-thru lane would have direct access to Santa Fe Way, Suzanne Forrest, senior planner, said, "No, there would be no direct access to Highway 43 from this lane of traffic. There would still be the one entrance and exit out of the Omni Health property."

Commission member Bob Wiebe asked if the addition of the drive-thru would increase traffic onto Highway 43, maybe necessitating a "right-turn only" sign going out of the parking lot. Forrest said, "No, not at this time. It will probably increase traffic a bit, but as far as needing a right turn only stipulation on the entrance to Highway 43, not at this time."

In other action, the commission approved a conditional use permit to allow Bidart Bros. to install a caretaker's residence on their property located a half-mile east of Zerker Road and approximately 1¾ miles north of Seventh Standard Road. The property at this time is undeveloped and is being used for agriculture, storing equipment and supplies. There has been a lot of theft in this area, and the company believes that installing a caretaker's residence would help deter illegal activity on and around the property. They are proposing to put a 52-foot by 20-foot double-wide mobile home on the property, north of the Calloway Canal. There is an existing water well on the property that can be used, along with power poles and a septic tank. Commissioners asked what would happen to the mobile home once the owners went forward with developing the property. They did put a provision in the permit that would say that once the land was being developed, the mobile home would be removed from the property and the permit would be revoked.