Planning Commission

City of Fresno City Hall Council Chambers 2600 Fresno Street Meeting Minutes - Final Wednesday, February 5, 2025 6:00 PM Regular Meeting City Hall Council Chambers 2600 Fresno Street Planning Commission Chairperson – Peter Vang Vice Chair - Kathy Bray Commissioner – David Criner Commissioner – Monica Diaz Commissioner – Jacqueline Lyday Commissioner - Linda M Calandra Commissioner – Gurdeep Singh Shergill Planning Commission Meeting Minutes - Final February 5, 2025 THE PLANNING COMMISSION WELCOMES YOU TO COUNCIL CHAMBERS, LOCATED AT CITY HALL, 2600 FRESNO STREET, FRESNO, CALIFORNIA 93721. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION – Any interested person may appear at the public hearing and present written testimony or speak in favor or against the matters scheduled on the agenda. Public participation during Fresno City Planning Commission meetings is always encouraged and can occur by attending a meeting in the Council Chambers, City Hall, 2nd Floor, 2600 Fresno Street, Fresno, CA 93721. When called to speak during a meeting, you may approach the speaker podium upon the Chair’s call for public comment. All public speakers will have up to 3 minutes to address the Commission pursuant to Rule No. 13 of the Planning Commission Bylaws of the City of Fresno (available in the City Clerk’s Office). SUBMIT DOCUMENTS / WRITTEN COMMENTS – 1. E-mail – Agenda related documents and comments can be e-mailed to the Planning & Development Department. Unless otherwise required by law to be accepted by the City at or prior to a Commission meeting or hearing, no documents shall be accepted for Commission review unless they are submitted to the Planning and Development Department at least 24 hours prior to the commencement of the Commission meeting at which the associated agenda item is to be heard. All comments received at least 24 hours prior will be distributed to the Planning Commission prior and during the meeting and will be a part of the official record, pursuant to Article 4 (3). a. Email comments to PublicCommentsPlanning@fresno.gov. b. Emails should include the agenda date and item number you wish to speak on in the subject line of your email. Include your name and address for the record, at the top of the body of your email. VIEWING PLANNING MEETINGS (non-participatory) – For your convenience, there are ways to view Planning Commission meetings live: 1. Community Media Access Collaborative website: https://cmac.tv/ 2. Cable Television: Comcast Channel 96 and AT&T Channel 99 3. Participate Remotely via Zoom: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_I18M0bh8TbSGAo27i5ze1Q a. The above link will allow you to register in advance for remote participation in the meeting via the Zoom platform. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing additional details about joining the meeting. Should any of these viewing methods listed above experience technical difficulties, the Commission meeting will continue uninterrupted. Commission meetings will only be paused to address verifiable technical difficulties for all users participating via City of Fresno ***Subject to Mayoral Veto Page 2 Planning Commission Meeting Minutes - Final February 5, 2025 Zoom or in the Chambers. The City of Fresno’s goal is to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Anyone requiring reasonable ADA accommodations, including sign language interpreters, or other reasonable accommodations such as language translation, should contact the office of the City Clerk at (559) 621-7650 or clerk@fresno.gov. To help ensure availability of these services, you are advised to make your request a minimum of 48 hours prior to the scheduled meeting. City of Fresno ***Subject to Mayoral Veto Page 3 Planning Commission Meeting Minutes - Final February 5, 2025 I. ROLL CALL Vice Chair Bray called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Commissioner Shergill arrived at 6:05 p.m. Commissioner Criner arrived at 6:20 p.m. Also present were Jennifer Clark, Ashley Atkinson, Israel Trejo, Robert Holt, Kari Camino, Heather Thomas (CAO), Dejan Pavic (DPU), Denise Soria (DPU), and Jairo Mata (DPW). Present 6 - Commissioner David Criner , Commissioner Kathy Bray, Commissioner Monica Diaz, Commissioner Jacqueline G. Lyday, Commissioner Linda Calandra, and Commissioner Gurdeep Singh Shergill Absent 1 - Chairperson Peter Vang II. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 6:00 p.m. III. PROCEDURES 6:00 p.m. Vice Chair Bray read the procedures aloud. IV. AGENDA APPROVAL 6:02 p.m. Trejo reported no changes to the agenda. On motion of Commissioner Calandra, seconded by Commissioner Diaz, the AGENDA was APPROVED. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: 4 - Commissioner Bray, Commissioner Diaz, Commissioner Lyday, and Commissioner Calandra Absent: 3 - Chairperson Vang, Commissioner Criner , and Commissioner Shergill City of Fresno ***Subject to Mayoral Veto Page 4 Planning Commission Meeting Minutes - Final February 5, 2025 V. CONSENT CALENDAR 6:02 p.m. Commissioner Diaz made a motion to approve the Consent Calendar, which was seconded by Commissioner Calandra. The motion was left on the table. No vote was taken. Item continued to February 19, 2025. V-A ID 25-180 January 15, 2025 Planning Commission Regular Meeting Minutes VI. REPORTS BY COMMISSIONERS 6:03 p.m. None VII. CONTINUED MATTERS N/A VIII. NEW MATTERS City of Fresno ***Subject to Mayoral Veto Page 5 Planning Commission Meeting Minutes - Final February 5, 2025 VIII-A ID 25-169 Hearing to consider Vesting Tentative Tract Map No. 6397 and related Environmental Assessment No. T-6397 for approximately 4.72 acres of property located on the east side of North Cornelia Avenue, between West McKinley and West Hedges Avenues (Council District 3) - Planning and Development Department. 1. ADOPT Environmental Assessment No. T-6397 dated February 5, 2025, a determination that the proposed project is exempt from the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 15332/Class 32 (In-fill Development Projects) of CEQA Guidelines. 2. APPROVE Vesting Tentative Tract Map No. 6397 proposing to subdivide approximately 4.72 acres of property into a 26-lot single-family residential development, subject to compliance with the Conditions of Approval dated February 5, 2025. 6:03 p.m. Commissioner Shergill arrived at 6:05 p.m. Holt made a presentation on the project including location, land use, zoning, proposed tract map, development standards, Conditions of Approval, and Staff recommendations. Commissioners had questions regarding traffic,and road improvements, and they spoke of the availability of the FresGo application to report issues within the City of Fresno. Dale Mell (Applicant) stated that road improvements and sewer repairs are part of the Conditions of Approval. He also spoke of the project being unique and a great opportunity for families. In response to Commissioners questions about pricing and size of the houses, he stated the floor plans are still in the planning stage and the houses would be market rate. Public Comment: No public comment was given. On motion of Commissioner Shergill, seconded by Commissioner Diaz, that the above Action Item be APPROVED. The motion carried by the following vote: City of Fresno ***Subject to Mayoral Veto Page 6 Planning Commission Meeting Minutes - Final February 5, 2025 Aye: 5 - Commissioner Bray, Commissioner Diaz, Commissioner Lyday, Commissioner Calandra, and Commissioner Shergill Absent: 2 - Chairperson Vang, and Commissioner Criner VIII-B ID 25-188 Workshop: Development Code Text Amendments 6:16 p.m. Commissioner Criner arrived at 6:20 p.m. Assistant Director Atkinson made a presentation on Development Code Text Amendments. Under Article 58 of the Development Code (Chapter 15 of the Fresno Municipal Code) the Planning Commission has the authority to review and recommend such items as Development Code Text Amendments, Rezones, and Plan Amendments. She went into further detail defining a Text Amendment, gave examples, and said that an Amendment to the text could be initiated by the Director, and by a Resolution of Initiation by the City Council or the Planning Commission. She explained that several Committees and Commissions must review Text Amendments prior to their presentation at Planning Commission, and the public must be made aware of any Planning Commission or City Council Meetings at least 20 days ahead of the hearing. She concluded with specific criteria an Amendment must meet, clarified the Planning Commission's role, the three options available to them, and that City Council has the ultimate authority over adoption or denial. Commissioners asked for clarification on the three options, and what would happen if there was not a majority vote. Director Clark explained that the role of the Planning Commission is to review the Text Amendments and make a recommendation to City Council to either recommend with no changes, recommend with associated changes, or deny recommendation based on the evidence in the record and findings. She also stated that additional training on the provisions for a minority report could be presented at a future meeting. Atkinson also confirmed that Text Amendments are discretionary and legislative in nature. City of Fresno ***Subject to Mayoral Veto Page 7 Planning Commission Meeting Minutes - Final February 5, 2025 IX. REPORT BY SECRETARY 6:34 p.m. None X. SCHEDULED ORAL COMMUNICATIONS N/A XI. UNSCHEDULED ORAL COMMUNICATIONS 6:34 p.m. Commissioners had concerns with the condition of the roadways in Fresno, and asked if they could be briefed on what maintenance was scheduled. Director Clark stated she would reach out to the Director of Public Works to see if they would be available to give a presentation on the overall work program as it relates to road repair and reconstruction. No public comment was given. XII. ADJOURNMENT Vice Chair Bray adjourned the meeting at 6:37 p.m. City of Fresno ***Subject to Mayoral Veto Page 8