Use Permit for Quasi-Public Use (Resiliency Center & Food Hub) UP2609

The proposed project involves the development and operation of a food hub located on the east side of Northcrest Drive, north of Washington Boulevard (APNs 116-160-064 and 116-160-025), in Del Norte County. The food hub is designed to serve as a centralized facility for aggregation, storage, processing, distribution, and retail of locally produced food products. The project is intended to support local agriculture, food access, economic development, and small producers. The project site consists of approximately 5.81 combined acres, and is currently undeveloped. The site is zoned Central Business (C-3) and Natural Hazard (NH), and carries a land use designation of General Commercial and Natural Hazard. Surrounding land uses include medical offices to the north and south. To the east is a large mobile home park. To the west, across Northcrest Drive, are various commercial and residential uses, including a mini storage facility, a veterinary office, and a multi-family development. Access to the site is provided via Shelter Island Boulevard, which also serves as the access road for the Shelter Island Mobile Home Park. The food hub would include the following components: Aggregation and storage: Temporary storage of locally sourced agricultural products, including dry, refrigerated, and frozen foods. Processing: Limited food processing activities such as washing, sorting, and packaging, and shared use kitchen rentals Distribution: Distribution of food products to retailers, institutions, restaurants, food banks, etc. Retail/Public-Facing components: Small on-site market, pickup area, CSA distribution, educational space for community workshops Administrative/Support Areas: Office space, restrooms Onsite food truck parking When fully operational, the food hub would Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with occasional events on evenings and weekends. A range of 3 to 6 full-time office employees would be present during operating hours. Other employees and community members would be present in more limited windows. This would include warehouse and retail staff, food delivery and pickup, retail customers, and commercial kitchen users, and community events of up to 50 attendees twice a month. The project would provide approximately 75 parking spaces to serve employees and visitors. Truck loading and unloading would occur on the northeast corner of the building, in a locked portion of the parking lot that will also provide employee parking. The southern end of the parcel is reserved for public parking, and is accessed via Northcrest Drive. Vehicle trips are expected to range from 30 to 50 per day. The project would be served by public water and sewer. A sewer analysis submitted as part of the application estimates that wastewater discharge for the entire development to be less than 1.0 “single family residential equivalent.” Surrounding Land Uses and Settings: As noted above, the project site consists of approximately 5.81 combined acres, and is currently undeveloped. The site is zoned Central Business (C-3) and Natural Hazard (NH), and carries a land use designation of General Commercial and Natural Hazard. Surrounding land uses include medical offices to the north and south. To the east is a large mobile home park. To the west, across Northcrest Drive, are various commercial and residential uses, including a mini storage facility, a veterinary office, and a multi family development. Access to the site is provided via Shelter Island Boulevard, which also serves as the access road for the Shelter Island Mobile Home Park. There is a ravine and drainage on the eastern portion of the property. The area is zoned a Natural Hazard District by county ordinance, a designation assigned to areas with the potential for flooding. In September 2025, Galea Biological Consulting (GBC) prepared a Biological Resources Study for Proposed Food Hub Project, Del Norte County. In the study, the drainage was identified as a distant tributary that eventually drains to Elk Creek. The Elk Creek drainage overall is considered a “Special Study Area” as well as an area containing sensitive habitat. However, this project is located outside the bounds of the Special Study Area. Both the flood hazard and the potential proximity to biological resources are addressed in detail later in this study. However, all development will be sited at least 50 feet from the top bank of the ravine, including parking area.