ELK GROVE, CA (MPG) - Elk Grove Planning Commission signed off on three projects at its Sept. 5 regular meeting: a medical office park, an RV storage project and industrial warehouses.

A major element of the design review for the proposed Allen Ranch Medical Buildings was the decision to cut down dozens of trees on the site.

Located on the east side of Laguna Springs Drive, 350 feet south of Elk Grove Boulevard, the development will consist of seven one-story medical buildings, ranging in size from 4,200 square feet to 20,000 square feet. The buildings would have about 65,700 square feet of floor space total.

Construction will involve the removal of 56 live oak and valley oak trees, which are designated as “trees of local importance.” Thirty-one of the removals are due to the site layout, and 25 are for health and public safety reasons.

“Many of the oak trees on the site are in significantly compromised health,” senior planner Sarah Kirchgessner said, citing an arborist report on the site. “And the applicant did place a priority on retaining trees that have the best opportunity to thrive in the post-development condition.”

Kirchgessner said that there are existing trees along Laguna Springs Drive and that the project will bring 76 new trees.

Commissioners Oscar O’con and Sandra Poole, and Commission Chair Suman Singha said they had concerns about the tree removals but they were reassured by the information from staff.

“I’m glad to see the normal mitigation requirements and the fact that 76 new trees are being planted as replacement. … I mean, I understand they’re not going to be trees of local importance but they will be trees at the end of the day,” Singha said. “So that’s what you’re looking at, is making sure there’s enough greenery in the city.”

Poole commended city staff and the applicant for their diligence “to try to save as many trees as possible.”

The item passed with a 4-0 vote. Commissioner Juan Fernandez was absent.

The commission approved a conditional use permit for a planned M2 Waterman RV Storage project east of Waterman Road. In a 4-0 vote, the commission also agreed to divide the parcel where the project will be located into seven pieces. Consisting of a 1,650-square-foot office building, two canopies and 302 covered and uncovered RV parking stalls, the project will take up one of the newly created parcels. It will run from Charolais Way in the north and Wayne Heintz Street in the south. No use has been proposed for the other six parcels, five of which sit between Waterman and the RV project; the seventh is on the south side of Wayne Heintz.

The commission voted 4-0 to approve a major design review of two industrial warehouse buildings east of the intersection of Elkmont and Iron Rock ways. The applicant requested minor deviations from city building code, slightly reducing the number of parking spots and widening the spacing of landscaped islands in the parking lot. Associate planner Joseph Daguman said the adjustments would improve the site’s usability. The warehouses and associated offices will take up about 42,300 square feet on a 2.8-acre lot.

Daguman noted that the applicant had updated its design to add canopies requested by the city; city staff recommended deleting a related condition of approval from the design review.

Representing the applicant, consultant Jim Gillum agreed with the condition’s removal.

The Development Services director said the commission’s regular meetings on Sept. 19 and Oct. 3 will probably be canceled due to a lack of agenda items.