The Lathrop Planning Commission recently approved the Dalfen Truck / Trailer Parking Facility Site Plan Review, paving the way for the development of an underutilized area between Louise Avenue and D’Arcy Parkway.

This is the eastern half portion or the remaining 10 acres of the 34.5-acre site located at 17100 S. Harlan Rd.

The plan calls for developing it into a commercially viable use with a truck / trailer parking lot facility that can accommodate the existing building along with the surrounding industrial neighborhood.

According to the staff report from the Sept. 24 special session, the applicant’s proposal included the development of “an impervious surface” – or heavy-duty asphalt – to allow for 265 truck and trailer parking spaces along with a stormwater detention basin, site lighting, landscaping, fencing, a new fire hydrant, and a conditioned and accessible guard shack stationed at the primary entrance along Murphy Parkway.

The applicant’s intent, based on the approved design, is to achieve the following goals:

·         Market new tenants, including nearby users, manufacturers, and logistics / supply chain-oriented businesses in need of truck / trailer parking and outdoor storage.

·         Provide additional truck / trailer parking and outdoor storage to the site’s existing building to handle current and future tenants.

·         Connect the applicant’s adjacent property (17955 Murphy Parkway, which is directly south of the site) to help market similar capabilities.

·         Design this project to become a standalone property in the future if the applicant is able to gain control of the east adjoining 40-foot-wide Murphy Parkway frontage strip of land, which is currently owned by San Joaquin Cogen, LLC.

The site will be used for storage of commercial trucks and trailer. Other materials and products associated with outdoor storage will be prohibited “unless otherwise reviewed and approved by the Planning Division,” the staff report said.

In other reports, the Planning Commissioners were pleased with the update of the currently under construction new Sam’s Club at the Stanford Crossing shopping center. Most notably, the walls of the first location of Sam’s Club in San Joaquin County have been going up as of late.