Tower District committee votes to eliminate industrial zoning. Will the council agree?

South Tower community advocates celebrated a significant victory recently after a key advisory committee recommended the City of Fresno eliminate industrial zoning in two key areas of one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods.

In an unanimous 5-0 vote, the Tower District Specific Plan Implementation Committee made the recommendation to remove industrial zoning from residential properties and the historic Central Valley Cheese factory building during their meeting on May 14 at the Ted C. Wills Community Center. Committee members Janay Conley and Myra Coble were absent. 

It will be up to the Fresno City Council to determine whether to accept or reject the committee’s zoning change recommendations. Still, several business interests, including Producers Dairy, had urged the committee to retain industrial zoning in the Tower District Specific Plan.

The decision comes after months of activism from local advocates, including the South Tower Community Land Trust to eliminate industrial zoning near Tower neighborhoods, run by Kiel Lopez-Schmidt. 

“Just wanted to really thank you for that motion, it really means a lot to me,” Lopez-Schmidt said after the policy consideration was passed.” It’s a lot of work that we’ve been doing in the community to raise awareness about health and equity in South Tower, and today you voted in favor of that.”

How did we get here?

The Tower District Specific Plan serves the city as a policy roadmap for land use, infrastructure and the conservation and maintenance of neighborhoods and historic buildings in the Tower District — one of Fresno’s most historic and walkable neighborhoods.

First adopted in 1991, the city recently initiated a process to update the Plan to better serve the needs of its current residents. The process of drafting this new plan has been ongoing since 2022, with multiple local stakeholders and residents voicing their wants and concerns for the neighborhood at the monthly Tower District Specific Plan Implementation Committee meetings 

What happens next for the Tower District zoning committee?

Following the meeting, the South Tower Land Trust issued a news release thanking the committee for their decision, and turned attention to the City Council for final approval. 

“We call on Fresno City Council to accept this Committee’s policy proposal and remove industrial zoning from all homes and the historic Cheese building,” Lopez-Schmidt said in the release. 

Annalisa Perea, who represents a portion of the Tower District, said she sees the abandoned Central Valley Cheese factory building as an opportunity for the community, and hopes to find a solution that works best for the owner and the neighborhood community. 

“It’s important that we strike a balance between bolstering our economy while still mitigating impacts on surrounding neighbors,” Perea said. “The abandoned cheese factory site holds immense potential to serve as a community asset for the surrounding neighbors and beyond and I’m committed to working with the site owner and neighbors to find a solution that best meets their needs.”

The abandoned building, on the corner of North Roosevelt and Belmont avenue, is currently owned by Producers Dairy. Producers once proposed to have the building razed and turned into parking, but the effort was struck down by the City Council in 2018. 

Other local advocates also believe the building should be preserved for its historical significance. 

Lopez-Schmidt and the South Tower Land Trust have been advocating for the area to be rezoned to residential, which the committee also agreed to recommend over the company’s objections. In a February letter sent to Shehady Family Foods — Producers Dairy’s parent company — Lopez-Schmidt asked the owners to “Help set the stage for the Central Valley Cheese building to be renovated into the Shehadey Community Resilience Center surrounded by new construction of affordable housing.”

Fresno City Councilmember Miguel Arias, who represents much of the Tower District, told Fresnoland on Wednesday that he would be “open to discussion” surrounding the committee’s recommendations. 

“I’m hesitant to go beyond simply being open to discussion, because I want to be intentional of driving and walking the neighborhood,” Arias said. “I’m going to withhold judgment until I see the full scope and get to visit the sites myself.”

Arias told Fresnoland in March he believes the time of industrial expansion is over. 

It’ll still take a couple of months, however, for Arias and the rest of the Fresno City Council to give final approval on the new plan.

Producers Dairy didn’t respond directly to the committee’s recommendation but issued a brief statement.

“We continue to partner with the community and remain engaged throughout this important process,” the company said. “Producers has been a part of the neighborhood for decades and is proud that many of our team members live and work in the Tower District.”

The May 14 meeting was the final one for the Tower District zoning committee, which will now be on hiatus as the city begins the drafting process of the new Tower District Specific Plan. The draft is expected to be available in the summer, and the release will begin a 30-day public comment period. 

The draft should include recommendations made during the meetings that have been taking place since 2022 — like the establishment of green alleys, a public library and a transportation hub in the Tower District. Final policy recommendations can be seen on the final committee meeting’s recording. 

The final plan presentation to the planning commission for consideration and city council for approval is now expected to happen early 2025.