Documenter: Heather Halsey Martinez

Here’s what you need to know

• The Clovis Planning Commission approved a DoorDash DashMart convenience store, a 24-hour electronic fulfillment facility in an existing shopping center located at 300 W. Shaw Ave. The location will sell groceries and household products through the DoorDash app, which will be available for pick up and delivery. DoorDash originally applied to sell beer, wine and alcohol as well, but the Clovis Police Department had concerns about the number of existing alcohol licenses in the area and would not approve alcohol to be picked up on site. 

• The commissioners approved two drive-thrus for food and beverage uses, a gas station and convenience store with alcohol license on Shaw Avenue, just east of Highway 168. The commission had concerns about long drive-thru lines and added language requiring drive-thru businesses to impose mitigating traffic control measures. 

• The commissioners approved a 17-lot single family subdivision by De Young Properties located on approximately 3.54 acres northeast of Shaw and Locan Avenues. The property will be purchased from Clovis Christian Church and lot sizes will range from 6,000 to 11,109 square feet. It will be an extension of the adjacent Legacy Square development. 

The Scene

The Clovis Planning Commission meeting took place on Thursday, June 24, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. The Planning Commission consists of five Clovis residents appointed by the mayor and approved by the City Council. They meet monthly to make decisions and recommendations on city planning issues and review proposals for compliance with the General Plan, in order to make recommendations to the City Council. 

Commission Members:

Paul Hinkle, Chair (also real estate agent with Kellner Properties)

Mike Cunningham, Chair Pro Tem

Alma Antuna

Brandon Bedsted (also Director of IT & Data Services, Community Medical Centers)

Amy Hatcher

The meeting was made available via Webex and YouTube Live. The agenda no longer states that face masks are required for those who attend in person due to COVID-19. All commissioners were in council chambers. 

The meeting opened quickly with the Pledge of Allegiance led by Hatcher.

It was then opened for comments by the commissioners or secretary. No comments were made. 

Hinkle then opened the meeting for public comment and no comments were made online or in council chambers. 

Actions

• Approved minutes from May 27, 2021 meeting.

• Approved amending the general plan and rezoning approximately 3.54 acres located northeast of Shaw and Locan Avenues to accommodate a 17-lot single family subdivision. 

  • Presented by Associate Planner Lily Cha

  • Rezone from public/quasi-public facilities to single-family residential.

  • Clovis Chiristian Church owns the property, but has decided they don’t need it for expansion.

  • Site was annexed into the city limits in 1996.

  • Lots will range from 6,000 to 11,109 square feet.

  • De Young Properties will be the developer.

  • Cunningham asked about the overlay and Cha said this project, “won’t really impact our inventory.”

  • Brandon De Young of De Young Properties said they are very excited to bring the project to the community and called it, “a win-win.”

    • They are finishing the Legacy Square development next to it now and will continue it to this adjacent property.

    • Hinkle asked him if he agreed with the considerations put before them by the city and De Young said that he did. 

  • Antuna said she thought this was a great project and likes that they are offering multi-generational homes, which she said, “have become somewhat of a need now.” 

    • She said it will allow different income levels and demographics to purchase those homes. 

  • Bedsted said it looks like a good blend of lot sizes and appreciates that they aren’t as small as some of those that have come before them. 

  • Hinkle said they have required some developers to have paved access for the garbage toters and asked if that can be added as a requirement to this program. Cha said that it can be added. 

    • He also asked how close the modular classrooms at the church are to the development. Cha said they are directly behind the church building and, “some distance,” away.

  • Approved unanimously. 

• Approved a rezone to allow Courtyard by Marriott on Sierra Vista Parkway and Shaw Avenue to sell and serve beer, wine and liquor within the restaurant inside the hotel. 

  • Presented by Assistant Planner Kelsey George

  • Current permit only allows for beer and wine sales for on-site consumption. 

  • She said this would allow the Courtyard by Marriott to maintain a corporate standard with other locations that serve liquor.

  • Cunningham pointed out that it hasn’t even open to the public yet and asked why this wasn’t requested when they were getting ready to build.

    • Cha said that since beer and wine were allowed in the district it was probably overlooked that liquor wouldn’t be allowed. 

    • He then said that only so many licenses are allowed within the tract map and asked if they had hit the maximum. Cha said the Clovis Police Department reviewed it and said it would be allowed if they met all the requirements. 

  • Taren Thandi of Triple 7 Hospitality was in council chambers and asked if he could answer any questions. The commissioners had no questions.

  • Approved unanimously. 

• Approved a request to allow DoorDash Essentials to open an approximately 6,770 square-foot 24-hour electronic fulfillment facility in an existing commercial center located at 300 W. Shaw Ave.

  • Presented by Assistant Planner Emily Lane

  • The fulfillment center will sell groceries and household products for DoorDash’s DashMart convenience store, which essentially serves as a small hub that stocks a limited amount of household products and grocery items. 

  • Dashers will pick items up from the location and deliver them to customer’s homes. It’s expected that approximately five dashers may be on site at any time. 

  • Customers may also opt to retrieve orders directly from the location between the hours of 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.

  • See’s Candy, Kijima Japanese Restaurant and Metro PCS are also in the shopping center. 

  • Anticipates providing between 15 and 25 employment opportunities, with approximately two to six employees onsite at any given time.

  • Lane said staff recently received clarification from ABC and outside counsel regarding specific standards for the Type 21 alcohol sales. 

  • Antuna asked if this is being modeled like a convenience store. Lane said that customers would have to purchase from the app and then could come to the location to pick them up. 

    • She also asked about any other 24-hour businesses in the area and Lane said there is a CVS down the street on Shaw. 

    • Antuna also commented that traffic concerns weren’t mentioned in the report, but if they have ten deliveries per week and 300 sales per day. “Either a person or a dasher is coming there about 300 times a day,” Antuna said. Lane said there were no concerns but they could take a look. 

  • Hatcher asked if neighboring retailers were notified. But they don’t notify individual businesses, they notify the property owner and they may notify tenants.

  • Sophie Farrara, representative from DoorDash, was on the WebEx. She said peak hours are 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

    • “We’re here to be good neighbors and really look forward to cultivating good relationships with the community,” she said. 

  • Cunningham said he drove the parking lot yesterday and that there was another delivery truck there in the back, which made it nearly impossible to pass through. He asked what truck size they would be using. 

    • She said it can range from a delivery van to a full, 50-foot tractor trailer, but they are able to partner with vendors to set up restrictions that don’t impact the area or nearby tenants. 

    • She said they have a couple facilities across California and nationally. “Vendors have been pretty amenable when we have to ask for these types of restrictions,” she said. 

  • Antuna said they received a revised memo that states the Clovis Police Department said they would not approve an alcohol license if in person liquor purchases were to happen at this site. 

    • “It doesn’t block our interest in the community, we would like to still be a part of the Clovis community

  • Melanie Johns, outside alcohol sales counsel for DoorDash, was on the WebEx. She said any Type 21 license must allow for in-person sales. 

    • “We’re hoping to work with the police department…to put some restrictions in place that would give them some comfort,” she said.

  • Cunningham asked if the police department could make a comment on their standing. 

  • Kim Wells of the Clovis Police Department said the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) allows for an alcohol permit allotment of six per census tract and currently the area is at nine licenses. 

    • He said other businesses have applied in that area and they have denied it. 

    • “With the oversaturation of that area, we’re unwilling to support another license,” he said.

    • He said they are willing to support it only if there are no on-site sales of alcohol and it is delivery only, but there is a rule 27 of the ABC that requires them to sell to walk-in customers also. So they can’t get their alcohol license without that. 

  • Hatcher asked about delivering alcohol and whether other services are offering that. Wells said it is lawful but that not a lot of businesses do it because they don’t want to take on the liability and complications presented of underage delivery drivers. 

    • Hatcher asked if there have been issues arise from it. Wells said he’s not aware of any in Clovis, but that ABC is aware of issues. 

  • Wells said if there is a rule around ABC 27 or they buy another license for an area that isn’t as saturated, Clovis Police Department isn’t willing to support another on-site license in that census tract.

  • Approved unanimously with a revised condition #22 under exhibit A that was presented to the planning commission.  

• Approved a gas station, convenience store with Type 21 alcohol license and two drive-thru uses for 2.75 acres of property located south of Shaw Avenue and east of Highway 168. 

  • Senior Planner Ricky Caperton presented the item.

  • Existing site is used for RV sales, which would be demolished, and a neighboring empty lot.

  • Came before the commission in January 2021, but it was continued.

  • Their Type 21 ABC license would be transferred from another location, therefore no net increase in ABC licenses in the census tract. 

  • 24 hours/7 days per week operation.

  • Uses of drive-throughs are unknown at this time, but they did ask for adequate stacking in those lanes if it is a high-volume use. 

  • Two access points along Shaw Avenue, including a deceleration lane to allow vehicles to safely enter the site from Shaw. 

  • Public vehicle access not permitted via Winery Ave., but emergency vehicles are OK.

  • Residential neighborhood is located behind and adjacent to the property. 

  • Parking requirements of 5.4 spaces per 1,000 square feet. 

  • Cunningham asked if the cul-de-sac is gated and Caperton said it is not and is accessible, but it would not be if this is approved.

  • Caperton said it will have a cohesive design.

  • Hatcher said that they received a public comment saying that property owners and the homeowner’s association had not received notice of the proposed development. Caperton said the complex did receive notice, but that particular person may not have received notice. 

  • Antuna asked if there were concerns about the points of entry and them being right off Highway 168. “I actually avoid getting off 168 on Shaw because it’s just a nightmare, so I have concerns about stacking,” she said. 

    • She said to make an immediate right turn and now there’s going to be a gas station and two drive-throughs. 

    • Caperton said the deceleration lane would help with that. 

  • Cunningham asked what would happen if a high-volume business like Chick-Fila.

    • “Right now we’re approving carte blanche…but I would still personally like to retain some say on who went into those other two buildings,” he said. 

    • Caperton said he’s not sure how they could have a say in what specific business goes in, but they could make specifications about operating safely. 

    • Cunningham said the city attorney should get involved. 

      • He said the type of user that could operate there can’t be specified. 

    • “I have a concern myself in approving a proposal that I don’t know the full ramifications thereof,” Cunningham said. 

  • Hinkle asked if once a particular business is contracted if they could review the plans. Dave Merchen referred them to page 174 and condition 21. 

    • He said it would require an additional evaluation 

  • Antuna clarified that the use permit is limited to food and beverage uses. 

  • Bedsted said he recalls the Dutch Brothers that they approved on Fowler and Herndon. He said he had some concerns then about the drive-thru line there, but they said they would have employees there to help with the line. 

    • He then said that he can recall countless times coming out of that area and Shaw being very busy. 

    • Caperton said the traffic engineer was there and asked if he would like to address the commission. 

  • Jose Benevides of JLB Traffic Engineering said the highest volume was 238 vehicles per hour and 5 vehicles per minute, which is why they recommended the deceleration lane. 

    • He said they recommended other changes like routing cars in the lot accordingly. 

    • Hatcher asked how many cars can sit in the deceleration lane before they go into the flow of traffic. Benevides said about three vehicles, but that is why there is a divider so traffic doesn’t get backed up entering into the parking lot. 

    • Hatcher asked if they would be adding driveways and they said they would only keep the two existing, but they would be moved and widened. 

  • Randel Mathias, applicant and representative, was in council chambers. 

    • He said they have worked for one year with the city on the design. 

    • He said the vacant lot and RV dealer could be seen as a sore spot and he hopes this project will be a highlight for the city instead. 

    • The two driveways would be moved to the east to accommodate drivers coming off the highway. 

  • Hinkle clarified that they are just approving the buildings, but they could be moved. Caperton said that was correct and if approved, the applicant would move forward with a site plan.

  • Bedsted asked about adding a condition that would require the drive-thru business to provide some type of traffic support based on a specific criteria. 

    • Cunningham said his concerns were addressed. 

    • Hatcher said it would be a good idea for all businesses. 

    • Antuna said that they don’t want to limit what the business can do, but provide more support for the business by requiring them to guide the people that are in the drive-thru.

    • Cunningham read the language requiring queuing mitigation strategies. Bedsted agreed and said the term mitigating was correct. 

    • Mathias said how they define that threshold is critical because they step into a site plan that they may alter slightly. He said if the threshold can be defined, then when it’s exceeded the city will require specific mitigation strategies, such as self traffic control. 

    • Agreed to add language requiring drive-thru businesses to impose mitigating traffic control measures. 

  • Approved unanimously with revisions to require mitigating traffic control measures.

In closing, Hatcher said she had received comments about Hobby Lobby on Shaw Ave. not maintaining any landscaping. The city will reach out to Hobby Lobby and other retailers, such as Walmart and Burger King along Shaw Ave. that are not maintaining landscaping. She also asked about the lines at In-N-Out and Dutch Brothers and if they needed assistance with mitigation strategies for their drive-thru lines.

The meeting adjourned at 7:45 p.m. Future Planning Commission meetings are scheduled for July 22, August 26 and September 23, 2021.

If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at Documenters-admin@thefresnoland.com with “Correction Request” in the subject line.