Tower District Specific Plan Implementation Committee

City of Fresno Ted C Wills 770 N. San Pablo Ave. Fresno, CA 93728 Action Summary - Final-revised Tuesday, July 30, 2024 5:30 PM Special Meeting Ted C Wills, 770 N San Pablo Ave., Fresno, CA 93728 Tower District Specific Plan Implementation Committee Chairperson - Christopher Johnson Vice Chair - Janay Conley Board Member - Annie Lokrantz Board Member - Michael Birdsong Board Member - Myra Coble Board Member - James Kitch Board Member - Joseph Catania Tower District Specific Plan Action Summary - Final-revised July 30, 2024 Implementation Committee THE COMMITTEE WELCOMES YOU TO THE TED C WILLS, LOCATED AT 770 N SAN PABLO AVENUE, FRESNO, CA 93728 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 Tower District Specific Plan Implementation Committee meetings is always encouraged and can occur by attending a meeting in Ted C Wills located at 770 N San Pablo Avenue, Fresno, CA 93728. When called to speak during a meeting, you may approach the speaker podium upon the Chair's call for any additional public comment. Unless otherwise announced, all public speakers will have up to 3 minutes to address the Committee. SUBMIT DOCUMENTS / WRITTEN COMMENTS – Email – Agenda related documents and comments can be emailed to the Long Range Planning Division. Unless otherwise required by law to be accepted by the City at or prior to a Committee meeting, no documents shall be accepted for Committee review unless they are submitted to the Long Range Planning Division at least 24 hours prior to the commencement of the meeting at which the associated agenda item is to be heard. a. Email comments to LongRangePlanning@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. c. Emails will be a maximum of 450 words. VIEWING MEETINGS (non-participatory) – For your convenience, there are ways to view Tower District Specific Plan Implementation Committee meetings live: 1. Community Media Access Collaborative website: https://cmac.tv/ 2. Cable Television: Comcast Channel 96 and AT&T channel 99 3. Zoom: https://fresno-gov.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_taAP1qgNRGGeXj2cB5mzQQ Webinar ID: 951 8694 8275 a) Register in advance for this webinar: 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. Should any of these viewing methods listed above experience technical difficulties, the Committee meeting will continue uninterrupted. Committee meetings will only be City of Fresno ***Subject to Mayoral Veto Page 2 Tower District Specific Plan Action Summary - Final-revised July 30, 2024 Implementation Committee paused to address verifiable technical difficulties for all users participating in Zoom or in person. 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 accommodation such as language translation, should contact the Planning Department, 559 621 8277 within 48 hours of the meeting. City of Fresno ***Subject to Mayoral Veto Page 3 Tower District Specific Plan Action Summary - Final-revised July 30, 2024 Implementation Committee I. Call to Order & Roll Call Chair called the meeting to order at 5:33 pm and initiated roll call. Also present were Long Range Planning staff Sophia Pagoulatos, Adrienne Asadoorian-Gilbert, Jennifer Clark, Ashley Atkinson, and Matthew Chea. Present 6 - Chairperson Christopher Johnson, Board Member Michael Birdsong, Board Member Annie Lokrantz, Vice Chair Janay Conley, Board Member Myra Coble, and Board Member Joseph Catania Absent 1 - Board Member James Kitch II. Approve Agenda On motion of Board Member Birdsong, seconded by Vice Chair Conley, the above AGENDA were APPROVED. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: 6 - Chairperson Johnson, Board Member Birdsong, Board Member Lokrantz, Vice Chair Conley, Board Member Coble and Board Member Catania Absent: 1 - Board Member Kitch III. Approve Meeting Minutes III-A ID 24-1012 May 14, 2024, Tower District Specific Implementation Committee Regular Meeting Minutes On motion of Board Member Lokrantz, seconded by Board Member Birdsong, that the above Action Item be APPROVED. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: 6 - Chairperson Johnson, Board Member Birdsong, Board Member Lokrantz, Vice Chair Conley, Board Member Coble and Board Member Catania Absent: 1 - Board Member Kitch IV. Council District Updates N/A V. Staff Updates City of Fresno ***Subject to Mayoral Veto Page 4 Tower District Specific Plan Action Summary - Final-revised July 30, 2024 Implementation Committee N/A VI. Continued Matters N/A VII. New Matters VII-A ID 24-1015 Workshop on the Draft Tower District Specific Plan Update Asadoorian-Gilbert presented on the 1991 Tower District Specific Plan, the Tower District Specific Plan Update, the public review, and the timeline and next steps. Staff emphasized that the release of the Draft Plan is voluntary; however, they clarified that public comments will be shared with the city council upon initiation. Furthermore, staff informed the public that the Committee was established through Resolution number 2021-147, and its members were appointed by their respective councilpersons. Public Comment: Member of the public highlighted the district's oversight of racial equity issues, including racially binding covenants and redlining. They also expressed confusion about downzoning racially undesirable lands and the lack of discussion on the health impacts of certain producers. Additionally, they pointed out discrepancies between the committee's vote to remove industrial areas and what was documented, along with concerns about allowing trucks through residential areas south of Belmont. Another member expressed worries about the lack of consideration for the homeless population in the Adoline Historic District and called for measures to address safety concerns and provide better amenities for the community. Another attendee emphasized the failure to address equity issues, the increase in truck traffic impacting the south Tower neighborhood, and the need for tools to build affordable housing. Lastly, another member posed questions about the origins of the discussed City of Fresno ***Subject to Mayoral Veto Page 5 Tower District Specific Plan Action Summary - Final-revised July 30, 2024 Implementation Committee issues, highlighted the importance of community support, and expressed a desire for open space and a park. Committee: Conley emphasized the significance of the Plan, highlighting the need for inclusivity, equity, and the inclusion of redlining in the Plan. Coble noted the extensive and rigorous process for the Committee member selection. Johnson voiced concerns about the handling of the parks section and inquired about the next steps for the Plan. Clark clarified that the Committee's recommendations would be presented to the City Council, with the understanding that the Council could make changes during initiation. Further discussions revolved around the Committee's ability to influence policies before submission to the City Council. Catania reported that the Committee unanimously supported rezoning industrial land to mixed-use, aiming to encourage businesses to move westward. Birdsong reminded the Committee of the motions that were made on May 14, 2024: • Recommend all Draft Plan policies with comments, as referenced in the Committee Policy Recommendations document to the City Council for review. • Recommend rezoning residences zoned industrial back to residential and rezone the Central Valley Cheese Factory building from industrial to a zone more compatible. • Recommend edits to Policy LU 4.3 to remove reference to ADU’s and ACU’s. Coble emphasized the need for Committee members to adhere to the Brown Act when making comments, and it was agreed that a meeting would be scheduled in August 2024 to consolidate the Committee's feedback on the City of Fresno ***Subject to Mayoral Veto Page 6 Tower District Specific Plan Action Summary - Final-revised July 30, 2024 Implementation Committee plan. IX. Adjournment Next Meeting: August 20, 2024 at Ted C. Wills Community Center The Chair adjourned meeting at 6:17 pm. City of Fresno ***Subject to Mayoral Veto Page 7