Tower District Specific Plan Implementation Committee

City of Fresno Tower Theater 815 E Olive Ave., Fresno, CA 93728 Meeting Minutes - Final-revised Tuesday, July 18, 2023 5:30 PM Regular Meeting In Person and/or Electronic Tower Theater Lounge Tower District Specific Plan Implementation Committee Chairperson - Christopher Johnson Vice Chair - Michael Birdsong Board Member - Annie Lokrantz Board Member - Janay Conley Board Member - Myra Coble Board Member - James Kitch Tower District Specific Plan Meeting Minutes - Final-revised July 18, 2023 Implementation Committee THE COMMITTEE WELCOMES YOU TO THE TOWER THEATRE, LOCATED AT 815 E OLIVE AVENUE, FRESNO, CA 93728 The meeting can also be viewed live at 5:30 P.M. on CMAC Channel 3. Pursuant to the Executive Order, and in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in the meeting, please contact the Planning Department, 559-621-8277 within 48 hours of the meeting. PUBLIC COMMENT: The following options are available for members of the public who want to address Tower District Specific Plan Implementation Committee: 1. You are invited to a Zoom webinar. a) Register in advance for this webinar: https://fresno-gov.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_taAP1qgNRGGeXj2cB5mzQQ After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. b) If you do not wish for your name to appear on the screen, then use the drop down menu and click on “rename” to rename yourself. c) Those addressing the Committee must state their name for the record. OR 2. Join by phone: 1-669-900-9128 Webinar ID: 951 8694 8275 a) Those addressing the Committee must state their name and address for the record. 3. Email: LongRangePlanning@fresno.gov a) Attendees may also email comments to be read during the meeting. Please 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. City of Fresno ***Subject to Mayoral Veto Page 2 Tower District Specific Plan Meeting Minutes - Final-revised July 18, 2023 Implementation Committee b) Emails will be a maximum of 450 words. c) All comments received will be distributed to the Tower District Specific Plan Implementation Committee prior and during the meeting and will be a part of the official record. d) Notwithstanding subsection c) above, unless otherwise required by law to be accepted by the City at or prior to a Tower District Specific Plan Implementation Committee meeting, no documents shall be accepted for review unless they are submitted to Long Range Planning at least 24 hours prior to the commencement of the meeting at which the associated agenda item is to be heard. All participants will be on mute until they are called upon at which point they will be unmuted. To prevent participants from having their video on, we will remove the option to show their video. Pursuant to the Executive Order, and in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in the Committee meeting, please contact the Planning Division, 559-621-8277 within 48 hours of the meeting. City of Fresno ***Subject to Mayoral Veto Page 3 Tower District Specific Plan Meeting Minutes - Final-revised July 18, 2023 Implementation Committee I. Call to Order & Roll Call Vice Chair Birdsong called the meeting to order at 5:40pm and initiated the roll call. Chairperson Johnson arrived at 6:13pm. Also present were Planning staff Casey Lauderdale, Yamilex Nava, Veronica Martinez, Karlo Guillermo, Preston Her, and Maya Mubarak. Present 5 - Chairperson Christopher Johnson, Vice Chair Michael Birdsong, Board Member Annie Lokrantz, Board Member Myra Coble, and Board Member James Kitch Absent 1 - Board Member Janay Conley II. Approve Agenda Staff requested item VII-A heard before the Approval of Minutes and the Committee voted to amend the Agenda as requested. On motion of Board Member Coble, seconded by Board Member Lokrantz, the AGENDA was APPROVED AS AMENDED. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: 4 - Vice Chair Birdsong, Board Member Lokrantz, Board Member Coble and Board Member Kitch Absent: 2 - Chairperson Johnson and Board Member Conley III. Approve Meeting Minutes III-A ID 23-1125 June 20, 2023 Tower District Specific Implementation Committee Meeting Minutes On motion of Board Member Coble, seconded by Board Member Lokrantz, that the above Action Item be APPROVED. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: 4 - Vice Chair Birdsong, Board Member Lokrantz, Board Member Coble and Board Member Kitch Absent: 2 - Chairperson Johnson and Board Member Conley IV. Council District Updates City of Fresno ***Subject to Mayoral Veto Page 4 Tower District Specific Plan Meeting Minutes - Final-revised July 18, 2023 Implementation Committee Brenda Cosio, Council Assistant for Council District 1, announced they are open to hear questions from and provide support to constituents. A question was asked about the budget for renovations for the Tower. Cosio responded and offered to connect further. V. Staff Updates V-A ID 23-675 Report from Public Works Staff members Jill Gormley and Brian Russell from Public Works, shared a presentation on existing conditions, current projects, and upcoming projects. Staff answered topics of discussion from the Committee and members of the public. Chairperson Johnson arrived during this item at 6:13pm. V-B ID 23-676 Status of the Contract with WRT Staff member Lauderdale informed the Committee about the expanded scope and budget with WRT, the consultants working on the Specific Plan. VI Continued Matters N/A VII. New Matters VII-A ID 23-1128 Recap of Workshop, Survey, and Pop-Ups Staff member Martinez provided information about the workshop, noting the most effective outreach method was canvassing. The Committee and members of the public provided reflection on the past workshop. A member of the public asked if businesses were included in prior outreach efforts because they did not receive a flyer. Staff replied that they would get in touch to make sure they receive one in the future. Staff member Martinez requested volunteers to support canvassing efforts for the August 26th workshop. VII-B ID 23-1126 Information on Upcoming August Public Workshop City of Fresno ***Subject to Mayoral Veto Page 5 Tower District Specific Plan Meeting Minutes - Final-revised July 18, 2023 Implementation Committee Staff member Lauderdale provided information about the date, location, and format for the second Community Workshop. A question was asked if pre-registration was required to attend. Staff replied that pre-registration is encouraged because it helps with planning and ensuring enough food is ordered, but showing up day of is okay. VII-C ID 23-1127 Approve Meeting Schedule and Locations Staff member Lauderdale provided information about potential meeting locations and informed Committee that some of the scheduled meeting dates will be close to holidays in November and December. After discussion, the Committee voted to continue this item to, August 15, 2023. On motion of Chairperson Johnson, seconded by Board Member Lokrantz, that the above Action Item be CONTINUED. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: 5 - Chairperson Johnson, Vice Chair Birdsong, Board Member Lokrantz, Board Member Coble and Board Member Kitch Absent: 1 - Board Member Conley VIII. Unscheduled Oral Communications Member of the public, Brooke Payton, shared a proposal for a new public library in the Tower District. IX. Next Steps and Closing Next Meeting: August 15, 2023 at Tower Theater The Chair adjourned meeting at 7:30pm City of Fresno ***Subject to Mayoral Veto Page 6