Overview:
For months, a proposal by the city to help streamline the process of building homes in their office zoned districts because of a provision that would allow developers to skip its requirements to seek community input and city council approval. Thursday’s meeting saw the council finally approve the proposal without the provision in a a split 4-3 vote.
The proposal will come before council one last time for a final vote.
A divided Fresno City Council approved a proposal streamlining the process of building homes in the city’s office zoned districts and near bus stops through a split 4-3 vote. The item will be brought back to the council one last time due to an amendment added at the council meeting, but Thursday’s vote moves the city closer to finally putting to bed the controversial proposal that’s been debated on for months.
Before voting, council removed a provision that would have allowed for these developments to be approved ministerially, giving city officials less discretion on whether or not to approve a proposal
Councilmember Nelson Esparza, who brought forward the motion, said he was concerned the ministerial provision would disincentivize developers from engaging with the community.
“I know that these projects can be very difficult, and we do see some resistance from residents, but to me that’s democracy in action,” Esparza said. “It’s part of the process to get to the most optimal outcome for the community.”
The motion was approved by Council President Mike Karbassi, and councilmembers Nick Richardson and Brandon Vang. Council Vice President Miguel Arias and councilmembers Tyler Maxwell and Annalisa Perea provided the dissenting votes.
Perea said she couldn’t support Esparza’s “watered down” version of the original proposal. She said she believes it ultimately goes against the goals of the council.
“My concern is that, if we take away ministerial, we ultimately would be making housing development more difficult in our city, and I don’t think that’s what anybody up here wants,” Perea said.
Thursday morning’s hearing saw 16 public commenters speak, with most voicing opposition to the proposal. Like in previous hearings for the issue, residents who opposed the proposal criticized its ministerial portion which, they say, is undemocratic, and takes away a vital part of the development process.
Julian Ramos, director of community affairs for the Fresno Economic Development Corporation, spoke on behalf of the EDC. He said they support the proposal because it “cuts red tape, and makes it easier to invest in housing projects.”
“If office vacancies rise, this policy gives property owners more flexibility to reposition those sites into productive, revenue-generating housing,” Ramos said.
Among the commenters voicing opposition was President of Teamster Local 431 Peter Nunez, who said he endorsed many of the current councilmembers, and that he believes participating in land use decisions is an important part of their job that they should not give up.
“I certainly would not have endorsed any candidate for office if I knew that they would give up a fundamental part of (their) job, which is making tough decisions,” Nunez said.
Karbassi, who has long-been against the proposal, added to Nunez’s comments. He said that developers being in favor of the proposal should be “a big red flag.”
“I think Councilmember Esparza’s motion is a compromise. I know we don’t always get what we want, but good government is through compromise.”
Fresno City Attorney Andrew Janz added before the vote that because the amendment to remove the ministerial provision is an alteration of the original proposal, Thursday’s hearing represents a first reading. The proposal will come back one more time at a future council meeting for final approval.
The city’s approval will bring them one step closer to regaining their Prohousing Designation — a coveted status granted by state housing regulators that provides cities with access to millions of dollars in state grants. The city lost the designation last month.
The approval also comes more than a year after the city rejected plans for an apartment complex in northwest Fresno, despite the project developers completion of the city’s preapproved checklist. Citing concerns from upset neighbors, the city’ council and planning commission ultimately denied the project, triggering an ongoing lawsuit from the developer.
Youth Job Corps will assist City in providing homelessness support
The City also accepted a state grant to help launch a new pilot program that could see its youth workers venture into the world of homelessness assistance.
The city offers residents ages 16 to 24 with work opportunities through its One Fresno Youth Jobs Corps program. The program offers vulnerable residents — like those who are low-income, or transitioning from foster care or are unhoused — with employment opportunities that can see them get their foot in the door toward a lifelong career.
The state awarded Fresno with $1 million in grant funding to help the Job Corps launch a homelessness pilot program. The pilot program aims to hire 68 workers, or “Navigators,” to help homeless residents or individuals at risk of homelessness “attain healthcare, public benefits, housing, or other necessary social services,” according to city documents.
Documents also show that the city plans to measure success by collecting data to see how many individuals were contacted by individuals who were served by navigators, and how many referrals were provided for healthcare services, and temporary and permanent housing.
The city will eventually engage in community outreach to see which organizations are interested in partnering with them and taking on these youth corps members. The City listed in their grant application to the state that local organizations like the Poverello House, the Fresno Mission and the Downtown Fresno Partnership could be viable partners.
The Downtown Fresno Partnership has worked as a member organization with the city’s Youth Job Corps for over a year now, according to CEO Elliott Balch. He said that, beyond just what this program has to offer, he and the Partnership have thought about how they could help the city address homelessness in its urban center.
“The starting place for us is that we’re out in our downtown, walking around with feet on the sidewalk every day,” Balch said. “There’s a consistency to that. There’s a noticing of patterns.
“That doesn’t necessarily mean that our team has all the training,” Balch added, “but it might mean that we can be a helpful partner, eyes and ears, things like that, to other organizations that are involved downstream in the continuum of care.”
The program is currently scheduled to begin this November, and run through December 2026. The program also plans to hire two cohorts of workers, who’ll serve under the pilot program for six-month terms.
City’s plan for cannabis tax commission goes up in smoke
The Fresno City Council also agreed to ax a nine-member commission prepared to advise them on how to spend money raised through local cannabis taxes.
The commission was supposed to give the city recommendations on how to spend money from its cannabis community benefit fund — a money pool funded by 10% of the revenue gained through Fresno’s cannabis business license tax.
The fund has raised less than $700,000 since it began in 2021, according to a city staff report. The amount “doesn’t support the need for, or costs relating to, staffing a commission,” the city’s staff report reads.
Since 2022, only 11 applications have been submitted to apply to be a member of the commission. Nobody was ever appointed.
The ordinance also renumbers multiple related city codes to reflect the change.
City of Fresno holds annual Juneteenth flag raising ceremony
Following the council meeting, the city held a ceremonial flag raising outside Fresno City Hall to recognize Juneteenth — a national holiday recognizing the effective end of slavery in the United States.
Fresno’s leaders and Black community organizations, like the Fresno Freedom Groups, helped lead a ceremony to raise the Juneteenth flag, and kick off a weekend of events throughout the city.
State Center Community College Professor Kehinde Solwazi gave a speech highlighting the national significance of Juneteenth. While acknowledging the successful strides the holiday has seen to become more known among the country, Solwazi added that efforts must be made to not only grow, but to preserve the gains made along the way.
“Not one step back,” Solwazi said. “We’re going to build and create a future in this country that’s going to be greater than the great.”
Juneteenth, short for June 19, commemorates the day when American Union troops came to Galveston, Texas, to inform the last of the formerly enslaved population of their freedom. As a result, June 19, 1865 — more than two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation — is recognized as the day that slavery ended in the United States.
U.S. Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, echoed the sentiments during his speech. He said that everyone has a duty to continue to champion the values of the Juneteenth holiday.
“Each and every one of us has a responsibility to one another to continue this journey,” Costa said.
In 2021, President Joe Biden signed a bill formally recognizing Juneteenth as a federal holiday.
The Juneteenth flag was raised upside down during the ceremony Thursday at City Hall. Pastor B.T. Lewis told Fresnoland that security was made aware of the issue, and plans were already set to remedy the mistake.
CLARIFICATION: An earlier version of this article stated that the removal of ministerial from the original proposal removed options for developers to get their projects approved without city or public oversight. Developers will still be able to apply for a conditional use permit or a developers permit in office zoned districts— two tools that city staff can approve at their discretion, without the need for council or public approval.
