Issues concerning operations at the El Rematito Flea Market won’t be discussed at the Ceres Planning Commission until February.

On Monday the commission continued a public hearing on until Feb. 5.

The 29-acre flea market on Crows Landing Road is operating under a 12-month extension of a conditional use permit (CUP). That permit allows the market to operate with changes to the operations, including use of a graveled overflow parking area for customers. The city is awaiting a new site plan and continues to hammer out items “to ensure compatibility with the Ceres Municipal Code,” said Christopher Hoem, director of the city’s Community Development Department.

Nelson Gomez, a representative of the flea market, said his group has submitted “all the information requested from us” but noted the wheels of government turn slowly.

“We need a little bit more time, especially with the holidays coming up,” said Gomez. He also noted that the flea market is waiting for the City Council to make changes to the ordinance regarding mobile food vendors.

“Everyone is collaborating expeditiously to try to get this action concluded,” said Gomez.

El Rematito operators want to expand operations to develop an event hall as well as relocate the food truck section from the southeast section of the site to the northeast corner. They also wish to add two more parcels to the use permit.

El Rematito hopes to streamline the permitting process for special events with predetermined conditions. But since no site plan had been submitted that reflect the changes, the Ceres Planning Commission decided in October to extend the life of the CUP and discuss the flea market’s new plans at the Dec. 4 meeting. But the matter instead was tabled.

El Rematito operates Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 5:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and is allowed to have up to 548 vendor spaces (155 enclosed spaces and 393 open air spaces).

In September 2020, the Planning Commission approved an amendment to the CUP to allow El Rematito Flea Market to operate for two years at which time the city would monitor and review the project. The flea market has been operating under a CUP originally approved by the city in 2015 but those changes to conditions allow the market to operate Thursdays through Sundays as well as operate a grub hub type of collection of food vendor trucks Mondays through Thursdays.

El Rematito has yet to submit a traffic management plan which was requested by the city a year ago. The city remains concerned about the venue’s popularity causing traffic to back up on Crows Landing Road past Whitmore Avenue to the north which is “causing delays and unsafe driving conditions.”

A number of residents living on Carol Lane located northwest of the venue showed up in October to say they don’t want their street being used to access the visitor parking lot. Nelson Gomez, a representative of the flea market, said the market has no plans to intrude on their neighbors.

In October Ceres resident John Warren criticized El Rematito for not complying with the conditions of approval such as submitting a traffic management plan and providing reporting on sellers with permits and payment of sales taxes to the state.

Gomez said the flea market was established before the site was annexed to the city. He stated that El Rematito has invested about $3 million in upgrades on the parcels as well as expansion of Crows Landing Road and installation of a traffic signal and paving for a lot accommodating 965 vehicles. He said the flea market has also added beautification as required by the city calling it “probably the best flea market in the state of California in terms of appearance.”

He said the flea market has already shown the city how it will mitigate traffic affecting Crows Landing Road at peak hours.

In October Gomez said El Rematito was “more than prepared to go forward on Dec. 4 but it’s not because we haven’t provided an incomplete application.”

He said all of the conditions have been met for years.