Planning commission recommends zone change in Taft; forwards proposal to Board of Supervisors

The Kern County Planning Commission recommended approval of a zone classification change in the Taft area and forwarded the proposal to the Kern County Board of Supervisors for final action.

Planner Daisy Gaeta, speaking for county staff, presented the request to change zoning on a 120-acre portion of a 160-acre parcel from A-1 (Limited Agriculture) to an Exclusive Agriculture district to align the property with map code designations in the Kern County general plan. The applicant, identified in staff materials as Daniel A. Cervantes of LAV Consulting and Engineering, also intends to pursue Tentative Parcel Map 12638, which would create eight roughly 20-acre parcels.

Gaeta told the commission that state and county agencies returned 'no comment' during the notification period and that staff received no public opposition. "Staff is recommending your commission recommend the board of supervisors approve the zone change as requested, enact ordinance, and adopt the suggested findings as set forth in the draft resolution," she said.

The site is located at the northeast corner of Valley West Road and Gibbs Street in the Taft area and is described in the staff report as split-zoned, including flood-plain combining designations. Staff emphasized the proposal would correct an existing zoning inconsistency with the general plan and allow future ownership flexibility while preserving the area's rural and agricultural character. Gaeta noted there is no immediate development planned on the proposed parcels.

After public testimony was closed with no speakers, a commissioner moved to recommend approval and the commission voted 3 ayes, 2 absent to carry the motion. The commission's action is a recommendation only; staff said the item will be scheduled for a Board of Supervisors public hearing and that staff will coordinate notification with the applicant.

The commission's recommendation and the packet materials note the tentative parcel map number (12638), the applicant (Daniel A. Cervantes, LAV Consulting and Engineering), and that the parcel carries map code designations and flood-plain combining districts. The next procedural step is the Board of Supervisors' public hearing and final decision.