Is a Pilot/Flying J Truck Stop coming to Lathrop?
If the Lathrop Planning Commission and the City Council give their approval, the truck stop giant – which was the anchor for turning Ripon’s Jack Tone Road interchange into a commercial juggernaut for the Highway 99 corridor – would be constructed on a patch of property just outside of Lathrop’s city limits.
Located just north of Roth Road, the site – which would be part of a 27.65 acre parcel that would be annexed to within the city limits – would be just over 9 acres and would complete an existing business complex already operating on a 24-plus acre parcel. The company, which operates truck stops throughout the United States, would lease the remaining 9 acres from the existing property owner to complete a full-scale travel stop.
And it will have everything.
Being just 1,000 feet east of Interstate 5, the stop will be a prime destination for truckers along the corridor that runs from Mexico to Canada – providing nine diesel fueling lanes, 12 gas fueling lanes spread out over six islands, 106 truck parking spaces, 64 passenger parking spaces and CAT certified scales.
The complex will include a 110-foot sign with LED lights advertising for interstate travelers, a 100-foot tall monopole for site lighting, and a 13,011 square foot building that will contain a driver’s longue, restroom, shower and laundry facilities, 2,660 square feet of retail space, a 1,260 square foot market and deli, a 1,445 square foot Subway restaurant and a Cinnabon kiosk.
The primary entrance to the site will be off of Roth Road just west of the Union Pacific Railroad grade, and a separate, smaller entrance for passenger vehicles will be located nearby.
As part of the Lathrop Municipal Code, all necessary site improvements must be made in order to alleviate traffic congestion and ensure that both pedestrian and vehicular safety and welfare are protected with the influx of vehicles that will eventually come to the area.
The project will have to clear the Lathrop Planning Commission, who meets at Lathrop City Hall at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 11, and then ultimately the Lathrop City Council before a request for annexation can be forwarded on to the San Joaquin County Local Annexation Formation Commission for the final stamp of approval.
That process, depending on the calendar, can take months and no date for construction was listed in the staff report prepared for Wednesday’s meeting.