The Tulare County Planning Commission on Dec. 10 approved Special Use Permit PSP25‑030 for a tree‑service yard despite sustained neighborhood opposition, imposing specific screening and planting requirements as conditions of approval.

The project—operating at 13426 Avenue 232 and associated with Safety World Inc.—has previously been before the commission for several continuances. Staff presented updates, including a county noise reading taken on site that recorded a maximum of 74.3 decibels during a morning measurement, which staff said falls within acceptable agricultural zone thresholds.

Nearby residents, including Tara Dominguez and Tony Domingos, testified at length about daily visibility of commercial equipment—claiming the site now holds dozens of trucks where the original permit contemplated a much smaller operation—and about inadequate visual buffering and late notice. Dominguez said they had sought larger plants and closer spacing to achieve a faster screening effect.

Applicant Kevin Bacher presented a petition of neighbors asserting no general problems and proposed double mesh screening and shrubs. After negotiation, commissioners set specific conditions: plant red‑tip photinia in 10‑gallon containers at approximately 6 feet apart (with measured offsets from the fence), apply a double‑wrapped (non‑see‑through) mesh screen to the existing pipe fence, and maintain the screening until plant height reaches a mutually agreed threshold (8 feet), at which point the temporary mesh may be removed.

Commissioner comments emphasized enforceability and maintenance: staff and the applicant were instructed to ensure the screening is installed, irrigated and maintained, with a requirement to replace dead plants and keep mesh material functional until the vegetative buffer achieves the target height.

Quote: "As soon as those bushes get to that height, we'll take it down," applicant Kevin Bacher said about the temporary screening he proposed.

The commission voted to approve PSP25‑030 with the screening and planting conditions in a recorded motion that passed 7–0.