Documented by Kristina Mansfield
Here’s what you need to know
- The Fresno Planning Commission voted to approve (6-0) several items related to a phased, multi-tenant commercial community development project with a Starbucks Community Store and drive-through located on approximately 2.98 acres on the southwest corner of the intersection of South Martin Luther King Boulevard and East Church Avenue. The project is within the West Creek Village Master Planned Community (MPC) and is in Council District 3.
- The commission voted to deny (6-0) an appeal of the project that was submitted by Council member Miguel Arias on Nov. 20, 2023, and uphold staff recommendations.
Follow-up questions
- What role have new Starbucks locations played in the distress of locally owned shops, such as Shep’s Coffee, Fulton Street Coffee and Better Coop?
- Which city officials have investments in Starbucks and do they need to disclose this when voting on a new location?
- Who are the long-term investors in West Creek Village, Inc.?
- Who are the long-term investors and members of Iron Men’s Ministries?
- Why is this drive-through being allowed close to a school when others are not?
- What other architects bid for the project?
Notes
The regular meeting of the Fresno Planning Commission took place Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024, at 6 p.m. in Council Chambers at City Hall (2600 Fresno St., second floor). Meetings usually occur at 6 p.m. on the first and third Wednesdays of each month. Members of the public are encouraged to attend and participate – you just show up. They can also be joined via Zoom.
You can find detailed information about each meeting’s agenda on the Planning Commission’s website. You can view the Jan. 3 meeting agenda here and links to all available supporting documents here. Meetings are both webcast on CMAC and shown on cable television Comcast Channel 96 and AT&T Channel 99.
The Fresno Planning Commission recommends actions on various planning issues, such as plan amendments, appeals and rezones for development permits or conditional use permits. It is an advisory committee, consisting of seven members appointed by the mayor and City Council.
Fourteen people attended the meeting in person.
Item 1 Chair Peter Vang started the meeting at 6 p.m. A city staff member called the roll.
The Fresno Planning Commissioners and staff in attendance were:
Commissioner Kathy Bray
Commissioner David Criner
Commissioner Monica Diaz
Vice-Chair Brad Hardie
Commissioner Jacqueline Lyday
Commissioner Peter Vang
Also present at the meeting were Director Jennifer Clark and Senior Deputy City Attorney Kristi M. Costa. Commissioner Haley Wagner was absent.
Items 2-3 Next, Vang led the flag salute and read an overview of the meeting procedures.
AGENDA APPROVAL, Item 4 He then started the meeting with the approval of the agenda. Staff requested Item 8A (ID 23-1721) be continued to the Feb. 7 meeting. The agenda was approved (5-0) with the suggested edits.
CONSENT CALENDAR, Item 5 Next up was the consent calendar. The board voted (5-0) to approve the Planning Commission’s Nov. 15 and Dec. 6 meeting minutes as presented.
Items 6-7 There were no reports by commissioners or continued matters on the agenda.
NEW MATTERS, Item 8B Steven Martinez, city planner, gave a presentation related to the applications and related environmental assessment for the proposed construction of a 5,781 multi-tenant shell building and full development of a 2.98-acre site with associated parking lot, landscaping, trash enclosures and pad for a future building (which will be under a separate entitlement) in West Fresno’s West Creek Village.
West Creek Village is a 120-acre Master Planned Community (MPC) in southwest Fresno adjacent to Fresno City College’s latest campus, and will include a combination of residential, retail and parkland. You can check out information about MPCs here and West Creek Village here.
One applicant on the project is Robert Vermeltfoort of Vermeltfoort Architects Inc. Vermeltfoort is quoted as a supporter on the Iron Men Ministries website, which hosts evangelical Christian recruiting events. A photo of Dyer is also prominently featured on the site.
The main tenant will be a Starbucks Community Store with a drive-through, which will be the first Starbucks in West Fresno. “These stores are unique in that they are located typically in economically distressed communities,” Martinez said. “They typically have a partnership with a local United Way chapter to facilitate relevant community programs and they have an emphasis on working with diverse contractors for store construction and remodels.” The first Starbucks community store was opened in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2016, in response to riots after 18-year-old Mike Brown was shot to death by a white police officer in 2014. There are 32 Starbucks community stores in the country. Here are some of the best. You can read more about Starbucks community stores in the 2020 Associated Press story announcing the launch of the concept here.
The project site is in between the college campus and Gaston Middle School, and is a Magnet Core Development within southwest Fresno. “ It will have a centralized location with higher-intensity uses away from the center of the core.
“There will be a small overlap into the residential zoned area,” Martinez said, noting that the site plan is designed within 1% to allow for the exception per the city’s municipal code.
The project site plan shows Starbucks on the east side. “The building is going to have multiple patterns, facades, materials and colors,” said Martinez, “and the building is also going to have a lot of windows.”
He then discussed an appeal letter received by the city after the project was approved, citing several concerns. The first issue raised was the lack of specification of potential businesses in the proposed project area that would necessitate a 168-car parking lot. Martinez countered by citing Fresno Municipal Code Section 15-2409, emphasizing that this section only establishes the minimum number of parking stalls needed for development. He encouraged Fresnans to submit names of business they’d like to see in the development to his office “by all means,” but otherwise did not address the lack of transparency in terms of who the developers are actively marketing its available commercial space to.
Next, Martinez addressed concerns raised about the increase of traffic from the parking lot and the project site overall. Residents are concerned about the danger to parents and children crossing the street to school, he said, noting that two new crosswalks will be added to the intersection across from Gaston Middle School for a total of four. He said a 4-foot wall will be constructed around the drive-through.
He said all documents were available for public review; however, the public had to contact his office to do so. “Additionally, the development was publicly announced … the mayor himself also posted about this development on his social media, so this was a well known project.”
Residents were also concerned, he said, because they were told during initial meetings that commercial and retail businesses would be developed along Jensen Avenue. This is true, he said.
He said additional concerns were brought forth including drive-through traffic, as drive-throughs were not previously identified for West Creek. This is true, Martinez said, but the development code technically allows the developer to put forth new concepts as well as put the onus on the city to process and review any applications the developer brings forth, which they did.
Martinez concluded his presentation, and the commissioners asked questions. Bray asked for clarification regarding one of the letters concerning the apparent lack of drive-throughs near schools anywhere else in Fresno or Clovis; however, Martinez said he didn’t know and couldn’t respond.
Vang asked about the 4-foot wall, and said he encouraged the public to reach out.
Criner asked about the exit and entrance. Martinez clarified it would be off of the Martin Luther King approach. Criner asked the city planner if it would be across from the city bus stop. He referenced the Starbucks on Kern Street, and the traffic problems at the 7 a.m-8 a.m. hour, and said it is a danger to kids.
He said a type-2 parking buffer is now required. Criner asked if the planner had been to the site in person. Martinez said he had not.
Lyday asked if the street widening is for Starbucks or if it was happening regardless. Martinez said it was happening regardless. She asked if anyone had heard about what the residents would like in the space of the Starbucks in lieu of the brand; Martinez said he had put his contact information on the website and presentation for them to let him know and that they had a legal obligation to reach out to those businesses and pitch them.
Applicants Jim Shehadey and Sylvesta Hall appeared in order to answer commissioner questions.
Hall expressed dismay at being brought before the commission over a Starbucks drive-through. “We shouldn’t be here tonight. We’ve got to move on,” he said. “As developers, we’ve done everything we’ve supposed to do. We brought the college. We brought the park. We want a safe place, we want a place to congregate, we want a Dutch Brothers and a Starbucks.”
Shehadey said the project will be twice the size of a typical Starbucks, and will be the only one in Fresno, and one of only two or three in California. “This is a community store,” he said, “that just also happens to have a drive-through Starbucks.” He added that since the COVID-19 pandemic, Starbucks has only built stores with drive-throughs, and that the intent behind the store is for it to be able to be used for large community meetings and as a gathering place.
Michaelynn Lewis, a longtime resident of southwest Fresno, spoke in support of the project. “I hope you listened to Mr. Hall’s compassion,” she said. “I’ve listened to a lot of him talking, some days when I don’t feel like it, and he doesn’t miss when he’s talking about west Fresno. I don’t think at any point in time have they ignored the fact that there are children at Gaston. But as a resident I am tired of having to get into my car and drive over to U street every time I want to get a cup of coffee.”
Pastor B.T. Lewis gave a comment via Zoom in support of the project. He said he came into the meeting with a lot of questions, but that after listening to the presentation he was in support.
Debbie Darden, a longtime resident of southwest Fresno, gave a comment via Zoom. She opposes the project not, she said, because of the concept, but because of the location. Her concern is safety.
Fresno resident Bob Mitchell spoke in opposition to the project. One of the original meeting West Creek participants, he said neighbors were told retail stores would be on Jensen Avenue.
Vang then asked the applicant to go more in-depth into what makes the project more than a “typical” Starbucks. Hall said his understanding is it’s the first “ethnic, cultural” Starbucks. He then asked Shehadey for clarification on why they had to be in that specific retail location. The most basic answer, he said, is that this is where Starbucks wants to be. “And sometimes Starbucks calls the shots.”
Vang then closed public comment and brought it back to the commission. He said it appears that there is some miscommunication and that the applicant is willing to make any needed provisions.
“Most importantly,” Vang said, “we need to understand that what they’re developing isn’t like a traditional Starbucks store. This is a great opportunity for them to take some pride in and say that we’re the only ones that have this.”
Criner said he wrestled whether to recuse himself. “Southwest Fresno has always been historically considered the forgotten part of our city and Mayor Dyer has made a huge push to be One Fresno. It seems like we have two Fresnos. Please let the record show that my participation in the commercial in October 2022 does not influence my decision regarding the appeal.”
He then made a motion to deny the appeal and approve staff’s recommendations. The motion was carried unanimously (6-0), which also approved (6-0) Conditional Use Permit Application No. P23-00835, Planned Development Permit Application No. P23-02080 and the related Environmental Assessment No. P23-00835/P23-02080.
Items 9 and 10 There were no reports, and no unscheduled communications.
Item 11 Vang adjourned the meeting at 7:04 p.m.
If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at fresnodocs@fresnoland.org with “Correction Request” in the subject line.
