Tower District Specific Plan Implementation Committee

City of Fresno Ted C Wills 770 N. San Pablo Ave. Fresno, CA 93728 Meeting Minutes - Final-revised Tuesday, August 20, 2024 5:30 PM Regular 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 Meeting Minutes - Final-revised August 20, 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 Meeting Minutes - Final-revised August 20, 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 Meeting Minutes - Final-revised August 20, 2024 Implementation Committee I. Call to Order & Roll Call Chair called the meeting to order at 5:35 pm and initiated roll call. Also present were Planning & Development staff Jennifer Clark, Ashley Atkinson, Sophia Pagoulatos, and Adrienne Asadoorian-Gilbert. Present 7 - Chairperson Christopher Johnson, Board Member Michael Birdsong, Board Member Annie Lokrantz, Vice Chair Janay Conley, Board Member Myra Coble, Board Member James Kitch, and Board Member Joseph Catania II. Approve Agenda On motion of Board Member Birdsong, seconded by Board Member Catania,the above AGENDA was APPROVED. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: 7 - Chairperson Johnson, Board Member Birdsong, Board Member Lokrantz, Vice Chair Conley, Board Member Coble, Board Member Kitch and Board Member Catania III. Approve Meeting Minutes III-A ID 24-1128 July 30, 2024, Tower District Specific Implementation Committee Regular Meeting Minutes IV. Council District Updates Johnson provided a Chair's report to the Committee. Johnson provided an update about discussions with staff regarding drafting a letter with their comments. He feels more time is needed before the Plan goes to the Council. He wants to ask the Council to remove the item from the agenda for more review and comment. More time is needed to process public comments before the environmental assessment begins. Conley concurs with the need for more time to review the completed draft document. Conley supports the suggestion to ask for more time and make changes before presentation to the Council. Birdsong takes pride in their process. The report needs to reflect all discussions and actions. Some recommendations were included, while City of Fresno ***Subject to Mayoral Veto Page 4 Tower District Specific Plan Meeting Minutes - Final-revised August 20, 2024 Implementation Committee others were not. They have asked for more time to address the issues. Catania has requested more time to review the Plan as they have found undisclosed elements and potential policy changes that could impact the neighborhood. They believe there are both positive aspects and issues requiring discussion within the Plan. Coble shares similar sentiments and asserts that additional time is required to thoroughly review and amend the initial draft. Kitch also contends that additional time is necessary, particularly considering the reception of public comments. Pagoulatos clarified that initiating the Plan does not imply approval; it marks the start of the CEQA review process. The CEQA consultant confirmed possible changes to the narrative and policies. Staff recommends initiating the Plan at the August 29th, 2024 meeting, with proposed changes to be addressed at the September meeting. Catania believes the Plan needs changes but is willing to present it to the Council if revisions are allowed after CEQA initiation. Conley suggested postponing the meeting to September to avoid multiple rounds of edits. V. Staff Updates Asadoorian-Gilbert gave an update on Text Amendment P24-00794 to allow for ministerial approval in the following situations: 1. “Office-to-dwelling conversion” residential use classification in the O zone district within existing buildings; 2. New standalone multi-unit residential development in the O zone district; 3. Multi-unit residential development in the RM-1, RM-2, and RM-3 Districts on parcels that are within ½ mile of an existing bus stop; and 4. Multi-unit residential uses in NMX, CMX, RMX, CMS, and CR Districts on parcels within the City’s Infill Priority Area. City of Fresno ***Subject to Mayoral Veto Page 5 Tower District Specific Plan Meeting Minutes - Final-revised August 20, 2024 Implementation Committee Johnson asked how it would affect the Tower District and staff stated that with this text amendment it would allow projects to be approved ministerially. Birdsong inquired about the continued need to present projects to the Design Review Committee. Birdsong expressed concerns about projects not being reviewed by the Design Committee, stating that allowing ministerial approval is a mistake. Vice Chair Conley agreed. The Committee was informed that work is ongoing to establish objective design standards. VI. Continued Matters N/A VII. New Matters VII-A ID 24-1129 Staff update on policy analysis and public comments. Asadoorian-Gilbert summarized all the Subcommittee meetings and the reports presented to the Committee. During these meetings, staff and consultants thoroughly reviewed each policy with both the Committee and Subcommittee. They also discussed policy analysis, health and equity background, and provided a summary of public comments. Johnson stated that although all policies have been looked at, they did not have the maps, narrative, and public comments for context. The committee began providing comments by chapter. Johnson noted there was no mentioned to the strength of bungalows, asked how this Plan works with the 1991 Plan, asked how we incentivize healthy food options in the Tower, supported the idea of activating alley ways, noted the need to find more housing opportunities and provide more information on health and equity and the history of redlining in Tower and add more information on infrastructure, street lighting, utilities and circulation. Conley wants to fine-tune the health and equity aspects of housing and jobs, promoting inclusivity to ensure everyone feels welcomed, safe, and has access to equitable Plan. City of Fresno ***Subject to Mayoral Veto Page 6 Tower District Specific Plan Meeting Minutes - Final-revised August 20, 2024 Implementation Committee Catania stated the objective design standards need to be strengthen. Johnson wants to see the proposed land use changes and needs clarification regarding whether property owners were informed. Staff confirmed sending notices to every property owner affected by proposed land use changes.Johnson noted the plan should add more focus on parks and green space and to add definitions to terms. Birdsong inquired about the industrial properties that the Committee proposed to change, which were not reflected on the proposed land use map. Birdsong asked why they were not included and what it would take to do so. Staff responded that it would be up to the council to decide, but Birdsong requested that the industrial properties be reflected on the proposed land use map when it is presented to the Council. Birdsong motioned to update the Draft Plan by adding the recommended land use changes from the Committee on May 14, 2024, to the land use map. Catania seconded the proposal. Coble inquired about where density would increase to offset the downsizing if it's going to be reduced. Johnson noted the park section is vague and needs to include more information and also inquired about how the Plan can do more to address incentives to build housing. Birdsong asked for a clear definition of the Tower Entertainment Overlay. They also raised the issue of the lack of discussion on Apartment Overlays in previous meetings and expressed concerns about its extensive boundaries. Catania asked whether the Entertainment District will expand to the north. Catania, Conley and Johnson asked if there would be further discussion on the Tower Entertainment District and Objective Design Standards. City of Fresno ***Subject to Mayoral Veto Page 7 Tower District Specific Plan Meeting Minutes - Final-revised August 20, 2024 Implementation Committee Conley inquired about the Committee's options for submitting comments. Staff explained that they can do so via email or during the meetings. Conley questioned the rush to initiate the Plan, and staff emphasized the importance of a deadline due to contracts and time efficiency. Staff clarified that editing can occur after the Council initiates the Plan, but if there's a motion to wait, an end date must be provided for staff to advocate for postponing the item. Conley also expressed a desire to avoid rewriting the entire plan. Johnson would like to expand sections of the Plan to require more landscape mitigation for industrial businesses adjacent to residential. He noted the need to change the Parks section and requested the Parks department to attend a meeting. Birdsong recommended three additional meetings to make adjustments and prepare the Draft Plan before taking it to Council. Coble suggested September 3, 10, and 17. Council member Arias explained the need for specific text amendments and inquired about the time required to finalize the Draft Plan. Johnson agreed to meetings on September 3rd and 17th and suggested that staff from Parcs be present. On motion of Board Member Birdsong, seconded by Board Member Catania, that the above Discussion Item be APPROVED. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: 7 - Chairperson Johnson, Board Member Birdsong, Board Member Lokrantz, Vice Chair Conley, Board Member Coble, Board Member Kitch and Board Member Catania VII-B ID 24-1131 Review and consider Draft Plan update and additional Committee recommendations. Motion was made to continue item to the September 3rd, 2024 meeting. City of Fresno ***Subject to Mayoral Veto Page 8 Tower District Specific Plan Meeting Minutes - Final-revised August 20, 2024 Implementation Committee On motion of Chairperson Johnson, seconded by Board Member Birdsong, that the above Action Item be CONTINUED. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: 7 - Chairperson Johnson, Board Member Birdsong, Board Member Lokrantz, Vice Chair Conley, Board Member Coble, Board Member Kitch and Board Member Catania VIII. Unscheduled Oral Communications Marco Zamora received a letter about a proposed change in land use on his property. He wants to maintain the current zoning for his future plans and questions why his property is the only one proposed for rezoning. He also highlighted the impact of a nearby cheese factory and expressed his determination to attend meetings and take action to preserve the current CG zoning. The properties in question are located at 322 and 340 E Belmont. During the public comment, concerns were raised regarding the discrepancy between existing conditions and the zoning regulations, particularly in relation to industrial land use. It was noted that several residential properties are currently zoned for industrial use, including but not limited to the addresses at 363 N Palm, 365 N Palm, 240 E Franklin, 238 E Franklin, 236 E Franklin, 234 E Franklin, 342 N Palm, 332 N Palm, 444 N Ferger, 441 N Roosevelt, and units ABCDEFGHI at 462 N Yosemite, as well as 450 N Yosemite, 452 N Yosemite, 454 N Yosemite, 456 N Yosemite, 458 N Yosemite, and 460 N Yosemite. Additionally, it was highlighted that the transformation of residential properties into industrial zones, such as the conversion of the former homes within the producers' triangle, raises questions about the future trajectory of such changes over the next three decades. The need for consistent reflection of current land use in zoning policies, particularly south of Olive and beyond historically designated areas, was emphasized. The challenge of effecting zoning changes post the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) was underlined, with a call to address the policy shortcomings before proceeding. Daniel Brannick appreciates the comments and skepticism but is frustrated with some aspects of the plan. He prefers slow progress over fast regression and urges not to be rushed. Although he hasn't submitted comments yet, he City of Fresno ***Subject to Mayoral Veto Page 9 Tower District Specific Plan Meeting Minutes - Final-revised August 20, 2024 Implementation Committee may do so in the future. Brannick is disappointed to see health and equity left out. Kiel Lopez Schmidt expressed concerns about the current plan. He emphasized the need to find solutions for adding housing while protecting at-risk areas like the South Tower and promoting affordable housing. Schmidt also highlighted utility issues and affirmed his commitment to addressing these challenges. Scott Shehady from Producers Dairy has been engaging with the community, rerouting truck traffic, delivering water during extreme heat, and organizing a blood drive. Shehady states these efforts have significantly contributed to the betterment of the community. Council member Arias provides insights on neighborhood development, highlighting the need to address housing challenges through upzoning along high transit corridors and considering downzoning on a broader scale. He emphasizes the importance of embracing more housing opportunities to tackle the housing crisis. Juan Camarillo expressed his gratitude for the effort put into perfecting the plan. He emphasized the need for more park space in the area and highlighted the importance of implementing short-term solutions in schools. Juan also proposed the idea of closing Van Ness for a few hours on a Saturday to promote community engagement and questioned the preference given to cars. Brooke Payton suggested explicitly stating a desire for mixed-use land for a museum/library annex and emphasizing the importance of a library throughout the document. IX. Adjournment The Chair adjourned meeting at 8 pm. City of Fresno ***Subject to Mayoral Veto Page 10