REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: JENNIFER K. CLARK, AICP, Director
Planning and Development Department
ASHLEY ATKINSON, AICP, Assistant Director
Planning and Development Department
SOPHIA PAGOULATOS, Planning Manager
Planning and Development Department
BY: CASEY LAUDERDALE, Supervising Planner
Planning and Development Department
SUBJECT
Title
HEARING to consider the adoption of the West Area Neighborhoods Specific Plan and Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR), State Clearinghouse (SCH No. 2019069117), and related actions:
1. RESOLUTION - Certifying Final Environmental Impact Report (SCH No. 2019069117), as related to the West Area Neighborhoods Specific Plan, related Plan Amendments P22-01351, P22-01352, P22-01353, and related Rezone P22-01353 as related to the Adoption of the West Area Neighborhoods Specific Plan, related plan amendment, and related rezones.
a. ADOPT Findings of Fact as required by Public Resources Code Section 21081(A) and CEQA Guidelines, Section 15091; and,
b. APPROVE a Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program as required by Public Resources Code Section 21081.6 and CEQA Guidelines Section 15097; and,
c. ADOPT the Findings of Fact and Statement of Overriding Considerations as required by Public Resources Code, Section 21081(B) and CEQA Guidelines, Section 15093.
2. RESOLUTION - to Repeal the West Area Community Plan and a Portion of the Highway City Neighborhood Specific Plan (Plan Amendment Application P22-01351)
3. RESOLUTION - to Adopt the West Area Neighborhoods Specific Plan (Plan Amendment Application No. P22-01352)
4. RESOLUTION - Updating the Land Use Map (Figure LU-1) and Dual Designation Diagram (Figure LU-2) of the Fresno General Plan and Incorporate the West Area Neighborhoods Specific Plan (Plan Amendment P22-01353)
5. BILL - (For Introduction) to Approve Rezone Application P22-01353 to Amend the Official Zoning Map to Rezone Approximately 958 Acres of Property within the West Area Neighborhoods Specific Plan Area to be Consistent with the Adopted Specific Plan Planned Land Use Map.
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends certification of the EIR and related Findings of Fact and Statement of Overriding Consideration, adoption of the Mitigation and Monitoring Reporting Program, repeal of the West Area Community Plan and portion of the Highway City Neighborhood Specific Plan, adoption of the West Area Neighborhoods Specific Plan, amendment of the Fresno General Plan Land Use Map and Dual Designation Diagrams, and corresponding rezone for consistency with the adopted specific plan land use map.
In addition to the actions noted above, staff recommends approval of technical corrections on APNs 511-011-21 and 442-060-33 related to Central Unified School District property and a map correction. Staff further recommends City Council consideration of the six land use change requests outlined in Exhibit X. All of the requests are within the scope of the EIR and are accommodated under SB 330, except Request 3 which results in a loss of 848 units of capacity.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The proposed project is the adoption of the West Area Neighborhoods Specific Plan, repeal of the West Area Community Plan and a portion of the Highway City Neighborhood Specific Plan, amendment of the Fresno General Plan, and rezoning of approximately 958 acres in the Plan Area.
This report describes the planning process, key elements of the Plan, and a summary of the Planning Commission’s recommendations from October 1, 2025.
These actions are tied to the May 2019 City Council initiation of the Draft Land Use Map, Guiding Principles, corresponding amendment of the Fresno General Plan, and repeal/amendment of the West Area Community Plan and Highway City Neighborhood Specific Plan.
BACKGROUND
Origin
The West Area Neighborhoods Specific Plan (the Plan) represents a community-led refinement of the Fresno General Plan, with emphasis on implementation and context-driven development. It builds upon key components in the Urban Form Element of the Fresno General Plan: a high-frequency bus route along Shaw Avenue supported by a transit-oriented town center; arrangement of complementing land uses and transportation along major corridors; access to green space; and the creation of complete neighborhoods.
About Specific Plans
California Government Code Section 65450 defines Specific Plans and sets out the regulations for their use. Specific Plans systematically implement the Fresno General Plan for all or part of the area under their scopes in one of three ways: 1) by acting as statements of planning policy that refine the Fresno General Plan policies applicable to a defined area; 2) by directly regulating land use, or 3) by bringing together detailed policies and regulations into a focused development scheme. The Plan most closely represents 1) and 2), since it includes a new planning policy for the area, and it proposes to regulate land use by amending the planned land use of property in the area and correspondingly rezoning said property for consistency.
Environmental Assessment
The total budget for the environmental assessment was $643,960, inclusive of five amendments. The budget was partially funded by the General Fund and partially through the State of California Local Early Action Planning (LEAP) grant.
The consultant for the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) was De Novo Planning Group (De Novo). De Novo conducted the necessary evaluation pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to determine the potential environmental impacts of the Plan.
Planning Process
The planning process kicked off in April 2018 at the first meeting of the Steering Committee and was focused throughout on community input and engagement. This is described in Chapter 2 of the Plan and is summarized below.
Steering Committee. An 11-member steering committee was appointed by Councilmembers representing Districts 1, 2, and 3. The Steering Committee was composed of stakeholders, residents, and developers in the West Area. The Steering Committee met 17 times during the planning process. All meetings were noticed and open to the public.
Community Involvement. Staff hosted or participated in a total of 17 steering committee meetings, 20 community meetings, three surveys, eight tabling events, and provided presentations to 14 (other) committees (such as Council District Project Review Committees) during the planning process. The purpose of these outreach efforts was to a) inform members of the community about the Plan process and b) inform the Steering Committee and the project team about the ideas and concerns of the residents and stakeholders. There were three distinct phases of community involvement:
- Phase 1 included community involvement that led up to and formed the development of the 2021 Public Review Draft. This included workshops and surveys that revealed important information on existing conditions, assets, and needs in the West Area. This input included the community supported vision for future development in the West Area.
o 2 Community Conversations
o 1 Coffee with the Clergy
o 1 Open House
o 1 EIR Scoping meeting
o 9 Steering Committee meetings
- Phase 2 of community engagement followed the release of the 2021 Public Review Draft. This included workshops to share key elements of the Plan and to solicit feedback from residents and stakeholders. This input would lead to refinement of the Draft Specific Plan. The COVID-19 pandemic overlapped with this phase; however, engagement continued to occur through written communication and online meetings.
o 6 topic-based Community Conversations held in partnership with the Central Southeast Area Specific Plan
o 10 committee meetings announcing the Public Review Draft to various bodies such as the Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Commission, Fresno Youth Commission, District Review Committees, etc.
o 1 Decoding Density webinar
o 3 District Review Committee meetings to receive formal recommendations
o 8 Steering Committee meetings
- Phase 3 includes the period after the Plan was referred back to Staff for further edits in October 2022. Two community meetings were held the following spring to receive feedback on the new proposed planned land use map, which re-started the technical assessments required for the updated environmental impact report. Staff appreciated the opportunity to participate in several town halls sponsored by Council District offices during this phase.
In addition to meetings and workshops, three surveys were conducted over the planning process. The surveys covered existing conditions and vision, goal prioritization, and idea generation for the Catalytic Corridors.
Outreach. Outreach was conducted in multiple ways, including direct mailers, emails, phone calls, radio announcements, and social media posts.
Nine mailers were sent to residents and property owners within the Plan Area between 2018 and 2025, containing information about proposed land use changes, public workshops, and key dates in the planning process. Information was communicated in English, Spanish, Punjabi, and Hmong.
All Steering Committee meetings were noticed in accordance with the Brown Act. Most of the in-person meetings were held at either Glacier Point Middle School or Central High East Campus for their central locations within the Plan Area, while those held between 2020 and 2022 were hosted through the online meeting platform Zoom. Meetings and pop-up events in 2023 through 2025 were held in-person at Steinbeck Elementary and the Teague Community Resource Center in collaboration with Highway City Community Development.
A stakeholder list was created for outreach via phone and email. There are over 450 contacts in the list, which include workshop attendees, agency partners, and other interested individuals. Stakeholders received both emails and phone calls throughout the Plan process.
Social media was used to share updates and announcements throughout the planning process via the City of Fresno’s social media accounts. One radio announcement was made on Punjabi Radio USA to share information about the release of the Draft Specific Plan and the topic-based Community Conversations series.
During the review periods, Plan documents were featured on a webpage created for the project (www.fresno.gov/westareaplan <http://www.fresno.gov/westareaplan>) and hard copies were placed in the Central Branch Fresno Library and the Teague Branch Library in the Plan Area.
Plan Features
Plan Area. The geographic area covered by the Plan is approximately 7,077 acres, or roughly 11 square miles, in the West Development Area defined in the Fresno General Plan. It is a triangular shape generally bounded by Highway 99 to the east, Garfield Avenue to the west, and Clinton Avenue to the south. It includes both land in the current Fresno City Limits (approximately seven square miles) and the land currently in Fresno County that is considered within the Sphere of Influence (SOI) of the Fresno General Plan (Figure LU-1) (approximately four-square miles).
Relationship to Other Plans.
The Plan builds upon and refines the Fresno General Plan with area-specific goals and policies. It also contains a proposed land use map that contemplates land use changes on approximately 19 percent of the Plan Area. Thus, the adoption of the Plan will require an amendment to the Fresno General Plan Land Use Map and Dual Designation Map to maintain consistency (see Exhibit D).
The Highway City Neighborhood Specific Plan, which applies to about five percent of the West Area, was adopted on January 6, 1998, and was prepared to address problems, issues, and opportunities of the Highway City neighborhood. One of the guiding principles for the Highway City Neighborhood Specific Plan encouraged development of neighborhoods characterized by a diverse but compatible arrangement of residential, commercial, industrial, and public uses to be supported by existing single-family residential areas. The Plan will replace the overlapping part of Highway City Neighborhood Specific Plan but will carry forward applicable area-specific policies.
The West Area Community Plan was adopted on February 1, 2002, as “Appendix W” of the 2025 Fresno General Plan and covers a larger area than this Specific Plan, encompassing its boundaries plus the area generally between Grantland Avenue, Clinton Avenue, and Belmont Avenue. The core goals of the Community Plan were to develop the West Area as a planned community with a complete range of services, facilities, and public infrastructure development, and to minimize land use conflicts between agriculture and urban uses. Although the Plan will repeal the Community Plan, it updates and incorporates still relevant policies.
Guiding Principles. The 20 Guiding Principles of the Plan were created by the Steering Committee (see page 42 of the Plan) and are summarized below. These principles reflect the key needs that were identified through community input: improved transportation access across Highway 99; safe and complete multimodal infrastructure; development of local amenities to meet daily needs; more housing variety; additional parks and trails; post-secondary educational opportunities; and development in harmony with agricultural uses.
Land Use Concept. After exploring various land use concepts as well as potential intensity of change, a transect concept was selected to support moderate change throughout the Plan Area, with focused density and commercial along key corridors. The key corridors were identified as Catalytic Corridors and include portions of Shaw Avenue, Ashlan Avenue, Veterans Boulevard, Shields Avenue, Clinton Avenue, and Brawley Avenue (see Map 3-1 in the Plan).
Land Use. The proposed land use map is a result of combining public input from community meetings and surveys and the selected land use concept described above. Land use changes are proposed on approximately 1,172 acres of land in the 7,077-acre Plan Area. In general, areas near the outer edge of the Plan Area were designated with lower density residential to facilitate a better transition from urban to agricultural uses, while more intense land uses, such as commercial, mixed-use, and higher density residential, were retained or re-located along the Catalytic Corridors.
Regional Park. Through the land use concept selection process, Steering Committee members requested that a regional park be planned for the Plan Area. The Steering Committee voted for three potential locations for a flagship regional park to be studied in the EIR (shown on Map 4-2 in the Plan).
• Option A: on undeveloped land in the northernmost portion of the Plan Area at the southeast corner of Herndon and Garfield Avenues.
• Option B: on farmland in the southerly portion of the Plan Area at the southwest corner of Shields and Bryan Avenues.
• Option C: on undeveloped land that incorporates the northwest corner of Shaw Avenue and Veterans Boulevard to the Bryan Avenue alignment, incorporating the future Class 1 trail along the south side of the Herndon Canal and continuing on the north side of the canal to the undeveloped land south of the Island Waterpark (resulting in a “barbell” shape).
From a list of 13 criteria, Option C scored the highest (See Exhibit P) but was unable to move forward due to potential development under private ownership. Option D was created to include two community park designations split between the north side and south side of Shaw Avenue. This option is accessible by future high-frequency bus service, includes the intersection of the Powerline class 1 trail and the Herndon Canal class 1 trail, and is a combined size of 52 acres.
Implementation. Chapter 6 of the Plan includes goals, policies, and tools for implementation. Also included in Chapter 6 are Summary Tables that list every Goal and Policy in the Plan with suggested measurement criteria to help community members, planners, and decision makers measure progress over time. It is anticipated that full implementation of the Plan will occur over many years, but that progress will be measured annually. The creation of a Plan Implementation Committee can assist in both measuring and achieving progress.
Public Comment on the Plan
April 2021 Public Draft. The first public draft of the Plan was released on April 30, 2021, for a 90-day public comment period that was extended to 120 days, closing on September 1, 2021. During this time there were two Steering Committee meetings, seven community workshops, and three committee presentations. Shortly preceding the release of the Plan there was also one Steering Committee meeting and four committee presentations that shared an overview of the Plan.
In addition to comments provided during the above-mentioned meetings, Staff also received formal comment submissions, primarily through email or letter. Thirty-one comment submissions were received. Additionally, one comment letter was received after the Committee was able to provide formal review and was therefore not brought before the Committee.
Staff reviewed each submission, summarized the discrete comments, and provided responses to each comment. These comments and responses are recorded in the Comment Summary Matrix (see Exhibit G). The comments were categorized as follows:
• Category 1: Comments pertaining to the narrative, maps, and/or aesthetics of the Plan (24 comments)
• Category 2: Comments pertaining to the Goals & Policies of the Plan (52 comments)
• Category 3: Comments pertaining to the Land Use Map (19 comments)
• Category 4: All other comments (60 comments)
Sixty-nine of the 76 comments from Categories 1 and 2 led to changes to the Plan (with input from the Steering Committee), while comments in Category 3 (“Land Use Change Requests”) were considered individually by the Steering Committee for consideration to be added to a Plan Amendment that would be initiated following the adoption of the Plan.
April 2022 Revised Public Draft. The Steering Committee considered all plan comments for Categories 1 and 2 at its February 3, 2022 and March 7, 2022 meetings and voted on revisions to the April 2021 Public Draft. The approved revisions were incorporated into the Revised Public Draft, which was released on April 25, 2022. There was also a minor modification made in response to comments received on the Draft EIR by the Fresno Metropolitan Flood Control District, which resulted in replacing the phrase “flood-control/drainage facilities” with “rain garden” in Policy LUH 5.1.
July 2022 Planning Commission Draft. The April 2022 Revised Public Draft was presented to the Project Review Committees for Districts 1, 2, and 3. The District 3 Project Review Committee suggested modifying Policy LUH 1.4 (related to a future Shaw Avenue Small Area Plan) to incorporate the remainder of the Highway City Neighborhood Specific Plan to ensure the area is planned for in a holistic manner. The District 3 Project Review Committee deferred making a recommendation to District 1, which met at a later date and concurred with the suggestion voting to revise the Policy. These revisions were incorporated in the July 2022 Planning Commission Draft released on July 7, 2022.
March 2025 Recirculated Public Draft. This version of the Specific Plan, released in conjunction with the Recirculated Draft EIR (RDEIR) on March 12, 2025, included the revised proposed land use map and minor updates to the narrative in instances where some events that were forthcoming in 2022 were completed by 2025, such as the opening of Justin Garza High School.
September 2025 Planning Commission Draft. Staff did not receive any comments on the March 2025 Recirculation Public Draft; however, some of the agency comments received on the RDEIR led to the addition of three new policies: IPR 1.20 related to the reduction of parking requirements for projects that meet certain criteria; LUH 5.2 to support the ongoing effort to create a Farmland Preservation Program; and LUH 6.5 to address potential impacts from truck uses, consistent with AB 98. Two technical corrections are incorporated in this Draft, which include updating the planned land use of APN 5110112 to Public Facility - Elementary School to reflect its ownership by Central Unified School District, and updating the planned land use and zoning of APN 44206033 to correct a map error that previously depicted the parcel as Residential Medium High. Lastly, clarification was added to indicate which policies are design standards, which helps to improve the transition from existing West Area Community Plan policies. This Draft was posted to the Plan webpage on September 15, 2025.
Fresno General Plan Consistency
The Government Code requires consistency between a Fresno General Plan and a Specific Plan. Since the Plan contains proposed land uses that are different than those on the Fresno General Plan Land Use Map (Figure LU-1) and Dual Designation Diagram (Figure LU-2), a General Plan Amendment is proposed to ensure land use consistency between both plans.
In terms of policy, the West Area Neighborhoods Specific Plan is a refinement of the Fresno General Plan that includes goals and policies that reflect the needs and desires of West Area residents and stakeholders. The Specific Plan is found to be consistent with the following Fresno General Plan Elements: Economic Development; Urban Form, Land Use, and Design; Mobility and Transportation; Parks, Open Space, and Schools; Public Utilities and Services; Resource Conservation and Resilience; Historic and Cultural Resources; and Healthy Communities. See Exhibit K for full General Plan consistency findings.
Housing Element Consistency
The Plan is consistent with the Housing Element goals and policies as it calls for the production of a variety of housing types that can serve people of all incomes and life stages (see LUH Goal 6 and Policy 6.1); aligns denser housing and mixed-uses near transit-supported corridors while calling for the development of vacant and underutilized infill lots (see Planned Land Use Map and Policy LUH 1.3); and encourages ongoing community involvement in neighborhood development (see Policy LUH 4.2).
The Plan Area contains 158 Housing Element Sites, including 29 sites along the West Shaw Avenue Town Center that are mostly designated for Mixed Use. Fifty-nine Housing Element sites are affected by proposed land use changes in the Plan. While the proposed land use changes in the overall Plan Area result in a net increase in housing capacity, there is a net loss of capacity on Housing Element sites. After factoring in the loss of capacity that would occur as a result of the proposed changes, there is still enough surplus capacity in the entire Housing Element Sites Inventory to meet the City’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation obligation. See Exhibit L for the full Housing Element Findings.
Housing Crisis Act of 2019 (SB 330)
The Housing Crisis Act 2019 (also known as SB 330) of restricts affected cities from changing land use or zoning designations, or altering the intensity of existing land use designations or zone districts, in a manner that reduces housing capacity below the capacity that was available on January 1, 2018; unless, there is a concurrent increase of capacity elsewhere within the city (i.e. corresponding up-zone) that ensures there is no net loss of housing capacity. Under the Plan, some parcels are proposed to change to a land use with a lower housing capacity; however, the offset of other parcels that are increasing housing capacity within the Plan Area results in an overall net gain of capacity of 369 units. Therefore, the Plan is compliant with the Housing Crisis Act of 2019.
Council District Project Review Committees
The Plan Area includes Council Districts 1, 2, and 3 and the Plan was presented to the Project Review Committees of each District. The Review Committees also provided recommendations for the Land Use Change Requests, which are summarized in the section below.
The Council District 1 Project Review Committee reviewed the Plan on May 3, 2022, and voted (yes: 6 | no: 0 | abstain: 1 | absent: 1) to recommend approval of the project with modified language for Policy LUH 1.4.
The Council District 2 Project Review Committee reviewed the Plan on May 9, 2022, and voted (yes: 2 | no: 0 | abstain: 0 | absent: 1) to recommend approval of the project.
The Council District 3 Project Review Committee reviewed the Plan on April 26, 2022, and voted (yes: 3 | no: 0 | abstain: 0 | absent: 1) to recommend approval of the project.
Property Owner Mailing and Land Use Change Requests
In September 2025, a letter was sent to all property owners within city limits whose property is proposed for a land use change and rezone. Feedback from the property owners will be provided as it is received.
A total of six (6) land use change requests were received prior to the Planning Commission hearing on October 1, 2025. Staff’s analysis of these requests is summarized below, and further detailed in Exhibit X.
Request 1: The request is to keep the existing General Plan Planned Land Use of RM-1 due to plans in progress to develop the site with housing. While this area is currently in the County, it is in an area substantially surrounded by urban growth and accommodating the request would result in 78 additional units of housing capacity. The addition of housing could potentially support LUH Goal 6 without detriment to the Plan's goals for orderly development.
Request 2: The request is to remove the Neighborhood Park Planned Land Use from the property while retaining the RM-3 zoning. This property is proposed for Dual Designation as Neighborhood Park and RM-3. The zoning of RM-3 remains applied to the land and the property owner is still permitted to develop under the RM-3 designation should the either the PARCS department not have the ability to acquire the land or the property owner not want to sell the land to the PARCS department.
Request 3: The request is for RM-2 zoning in lieu of CMX. The requestor has approved plans to add personal storage buildings to the site and is concerned about the use becoming legally nonconforming. Personal Storage is conditionally permitted in both RM-2 and CMX. Changing the parcel to RM-2 would reduce the housing capacity that can be counted for the Plan Area by 848 units and would result in the plan being out of compliance with the Housing Crisis Act (SB 330).
Request 4: Under the existing General Plan, this parcel has split zoning (RS-5 and RM-1) and is proposed for Dual Designation as Neighborhood Park and RS-5. The request is to remove the park designation and apply RM-1 to the whole parcel; or, alternatively, to keep the existing General Plan designation. Removal of the Dual Designation would potentially be inconsistent with Specific Plan policy PF 1.1; however, the addition of housing capacity by applying the RM-1 designation to the whole parcel supports LUH Goal 6.
Request 5: The request is for RM-1 designation in lieu of the proposed RM-2 designation. Accommodating this request would result in the loss of capacity of approximately 59 housing units. The parcels to the south are proposed to be designated as NMX. Staff recommend that instead of RM-1, that NMX be considered because it has the same minimum density as RM-1 (12 du/ac), but would increase the housing capacity of the parcels due to its maximum density of 64 du/ac.
Request 6: The request is for an unspecified zone that permits truck parking in lieu of the proposed RM-1. Accommodating this request would result in the loss of capacity of approximately 48 housing units. While this would not result in the plan being out of compliance with the Housing Crisis Act (SB 330), acceptance of this change would potentially be inconsistent with Specific Plan policies IPR 1.14 and LUH 6.5.
Planning Commission Recommendation
The Planning Commission held a hearing for the project at its regular meeting on October 1, 2025. During the hearing, thirteen (13) individuals spoke in favor of the project, three (3) spoke in opposition of particular land use changes, and one (1) spoke in support of the project but in opposition to a particular land use change.
A total of six (6) land use change requests were submitted to the Planning Commission. The Commission asked questions about several of the requests, including the potential impacts and need for further environmental assessment. For Request #5 (see Exhibit X), the Commission expressed support for staff’s suggestion to change the proposed zoning from RM-2 to NMX as a compromise to the property owner’s request to be designated as RM-1. As noted above, both RM-1 and NMX have the same minimum density, but NMX would not cause a loss of housing capacity.
The Commission recommended (5-0) that the City Council a) certify the Final EIR and associated documents; b) repeal the West Area Community Plan and overlapping portion of the Highway City Neighborhood Specific Plan c) adopt the West Area Neighborhoods Specific Plan and proposed land use map, but to consider the land use change requests; d) amend the General Plan Planned Land Use Map and Dual Designation Diagram to be consistent with the Specific Plan; and e) amend the Zoning Map to be consistent with the Specific Plan. See Exhibit N for the Planning Commission Resolutions.
Notice of City Council Hearing
The City Council hearing was noticed in the Fresno Bee pursuant to Section 15-5007-d of the Fresno Municipal Code (see Exhibit M). The notice was also published on the Clerk’s Notices page and sent to the Planning Department email list. The hearing date was posted on the Plan’s webpage and emailed to the Plan stakeholder list.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
Environmental Impact Report
The City, as the lead agency under the CEQA, determined that a program-level EIR was required for the proposed project. Consulting firm De Novo prepared the EIR. The review and certification of the EIR involves the following procedural steps: 1. Notice of Preparation, 2. Public Scoping Meeting, 3. Notice of Availability and Public Review Period, 4. Final EIR and Response to Comments, and 5. Certification.
Notice of Preparation (NOP): Upon the City’s determination that an EIR was required for this project, an NOP was made available to the general public and responsible trustee agencies to solicit input on issues of concern that should be addressed in the EIR. The NOP was issued on June 28, 2019, and included a project description, project location, and a brief overview of the topics to be covered in the EIR. Thirteen comment letters were received from public agencies and community members and were incorporated into the Draft EIR (DEIR).
Public Scoping Meeting: On July 24, 2019, a project scoping meeting was held, to which the Responsible and Trustee agencies as well as interested members of the public were invited, and which had been duly advertised in advance. The meeting was held at the Glacier Point Middle School Cafeteria. Concerns raised were considered during preparation of the Draft EIR.
Notice of Availability (NOA): The City published a public NOA for the DEIR on February 10, 2022, inviting comments from the general public, agencies, organizations, and other interested parties. The NOA was filed with the State Clearinghouse (SCH # 2019069117), the County Clerk, and was published in the Fresno Bee pursuant to the public noticing requirements of CEQA.
Comments on 2022 DEIR: The DEIR was available for public review and comment from February 10, 2022 through March 28, 2022. Nine written comments on the DEIR were submitted to the City of Fresno during the review period. The comments were summarized and addressed in the FEIR. None of these comments contained new information that revealed any potentially new or more significant environmental impacts that could have required recirculation of the DEIR pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15088.5.
2022 Final EIR (FEIR): In accordance with CEQA Guidelines Section 15088, the Final EIR was prepared that responded to the written comments received on the 2022 DEIR. The Final EIR also contained minor edits to the Draft EIR. The FEIR was made available on the Plan webpage on July 7, 2022. Hard copies were also made available at the Central Branch and Teague Libraries.
2025 Recirculated DEIR (RDEIR): Prior to the October 2022 scheduled City Council hearing, Staff received instruction to revise the planned land use map and farmland mitigation measures in the DEIR. This resulted in a need to reassess the environmental impacts of the Plan, and therefore a new DEIR was completed and recirculated in its entirety. The RDEIR (see Exhibit H) was available for public review and comment from March 12, 2025 through April 28, 2025. Eight written comments on the RDEIR were submitted to the City of Fresno during the review period. The comments were summarized and addressed in the 2025 FEIR. None of these comments contained new information that revealed any potentially new or more significant environmental impacts that could have required recirculation of the DEIR pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15088.5.
2025 Final EIR (FEIR): In accordance with CEQA Guidelines Section 15088, the Final EIR responds to the written comments received on the 2025 RDEIR. The Final EIR also contains minor edits to the Draft EIR. The FEIR (see Exhibit I) was made available on the Plan webpage on September 19, 2025, and notice was sent to commenters the same day. Hard copies were also made available at the Central Branch and Teague Libraries.
Certification of the EIR: The City Council will hold a public hearing to consider the adequacy and completeness of the EIR under CEQA and to certify the EIR and adopt the necessary Findings of Fact and Statement of Overriding Considerations.
Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (MMRP): The City Council will also consider adopting a program to implement the EIR’s recommended mitigation measures to mitigate, avoid, or substantially lessen the significant impacts of the project. The final MMRP is included in the FEIR.
Environmental Impact Report Analysis and Conclusions
Project Objectives
Pursuant to Section 15124 of the CEQA Guidelines, the EIR must identify the objectives of the project (the “project” means the West Area Neighborhoods Specific Plan, or “the Plan”). The following Specific Plan Guiding Principles functionally represent project objectives as required:
Transportation
§ Accommodate and improve roadway access, connectivity, and mobility among all modes of transportation, and prioritize roadway widening where bottlenecking exists.
§ Accommodate planned transit services in the West Area by locating routes near or adjacent to the community centers, schools, parks, and retail centers.
§ Provide a complete, safe, and well-maintained sidewalk network from residential neighborhoods to commercial centers, schools, parks, and community centers.
§ Provide a complete, safe, and well-maintained roadway network that allows for efficient and smooth access from the West Area to other sections of the city and region.
Parks & Trails
§ Create parks that are within existing and planned neighborhoods that are easily accessed by community members using pedestrian and bicycle pathways, transit services, or motor vehicles, consistent with the City of Fresno’s Parks Master Plan.
§ Provide for the location of a flagship regional park in the Plan Area that has components of the Plan Area’s agricultural history through the planting of drought-resistant vegetation or trees, and the creation of public art that exhibits the Plan Area’s contribution to the agricultural industry.
§ Increase the tree canopy to improve air quality and health outcomes for residents while enhancing neighborhood streetscapes.
Agriculture
§ Incorporate elements of agriculture in future parks by planting a mixture of native drought tolerant vegetation, shrubs, and trees that can serve to provide shade and enhance the streetscape.
Retail
§ Attract desired and needed local retail establishments to serve the needs of the West Area community. Such establishments include grocery stores, bakeries, restaurants (other than fast food), and boutiques.
§ Discourage the expansion of undesirable retail establishments such as liquor stores, tobacco and vapor stores, short-term loan and pawn shops, and adult stores.
§ Encourage the development of retail establishments along commercial corridors.
Housing
§ Encourage a variety of housing types and styles.
§ Encourage the development of housing to accommodate an aging population including multi-generational houses and other elder housing options.
§ Reaffirm the City’s commitment and obligation to affirmatively furthering access to fair and affordable housing opportunities by strongly encouraging equitable and fair housing opportunities to be located in strategic proximity to employment, recreational facilities, schools, neighborhood commercial areas, and transportation routes.
Catalytic Corridors
§ Encourage the orderly and consistent development of civic, parkland, retail and commercial, mixed-use, and multi-family uses along West Shaw Avenue, West Ashlan Avenue, Veterans Boulevard, West Shields Avenue, West Clinton Avenue, and Brawley Avenue.
Education
§ Attract much-needed educational opportunities for the residents of the West Area, especially for post-secondary education, and access to programs for life-long learners.
Public Safety
§ Provide for safe routes to schools for children, with the City and County working together with residents, to provide sidewalks in neighborhoods that have sporadic access.
§ Work to promote Neighborhood Watch in all neighborhoods and further assess the need for the location of emergency response facilities west of Highway 99.
Impacts Analyzed
The EIR analyzed impacts to the following environmental areas, as these were the areas determined to have potential impacts:
- Aesthetics and Visual Resources (Chapter 3.1)
- Agricultural Resources (Chapter 3.2)
- Air Quality (Chapter 3.3)
- Biological Resources (Chapter 3.4)
- Cultural and Tribal Resources (Chapter 3.5)
- Geology, Soils and Seismicity (Chapter 3.6)
- Greenhouse Gases, Climate Change, and Energy (Chapter 3.7)
- Hazards and Hazardous Materials (Chapter 3.8)
- Hydrology and Water Quality (Chapter 3.9)
- Land Use (Chapter 3.10)
- Noise (Chapter 3.11)
- Population and Housing (Chapter 3.12)
- Public Services and Recreation (Chapter 3.13)
- Transportation and Circulation (Chapter 3.14)
- Utilities (Chapter 3.15)
The EIR found impacts to the following areas: Aesthetics and Visual Resources, Agricultural Resources; Air Quality; Biological Resources; Cultural and Tribal Resources; Geology, Soils and Seismicity; Greenhouse Gases, Climate Change, and Energy; Hazards and Hazardous Materials; Noise; Public Services and Recreation; and Utilities. The EIR includes recommended mitigation measures in these areas (see MMRP included in the FEIR). The recommended mitigation measures were found to reduce impacts to less than significant in all but the areas listed below:
- Aesthetics and Visual Resources
- Agricultural Resources
- Air Quality
- Public Services and Recreation
- Transportation and Circulation
- Utilities and Service Systems
Overriding Considerations
Pursuant to CEQA requirements, findings of fact and a statement of overriding consideration are required to approve the project because the project will result in significant unavoidable impacts. Staff recommends that the following overriding considerations be considered in approving the project despite its unavoidable significant impacts: Consistency with the Fresno General Plan, Consistency with the City’s Zoning Ordinance, Supports Fresno General Plan Policies, Consistency with Smart Growth Principles, Create Employment Opportunities for Local Residents, Contribute to and Fund Needed Infrastructure Improvements, Generate Economic Benefits from Taxes, Expansion of the City's Housing Stock.
Technical Corrections
As reflected under the above narrative regarding the 2025 Planning Commission Specific Plan Draft, there are two technical corrections that accompany Staff’s recommendations. The first is to confirm a land use change for APN 5110112 to Public Facility - Elementary School to reflect its ownership by Central Unified School District. The dual designation for the site remains unchanged and therefore has no impact on the environmental analysis. The second is to confirm the correction of a map error that showed APN 44206033 as Residential Medium High instead of its correct designation of Residential Urban Neighborhood. The zoning will be corrected as well, adding a capacity of 64 housing units (bringing the total Plan Area capacity to 433 units). Staff finds that this correction would not alter the conclusions of the environmental analysis.
FRESNO MUNICIPAL CODE FINDINGS
Based upon analysis of the proposed Plan, Staff concludes that the required findings of Section 15-5812 of the Fresno Municipal Code can be made. These findings are attached as Exhibit K.
LOCAL PREFERENCE
Local preference was not considered because this project does not include a bid or award of a construction or service contract.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with this action.
Attachments:
Exhibit A West Area Neighborhoods Specific Plan Vicinity Map
Exhibit B Plan Amendment P22-01351 West Area Community Plan Area & Highway City Neighborhood Specific Plan Area Maps
Exhibit C Plan Amendment P22-01352 West Area Neighborhoods Specific Plan Proposed Planned Land Use Map
Exhibit D Plan Amendment P22-01353 Proposed Changes to General Plan Figures LU-1 & LU-2
Exhibit E Rezone P22-01353 Proposed Changes to the Zoning Map
Exhibit F WANSP Planning Commission Draft (Sept. 2025)
Exhibit G 2022 Comment Summary Matrix & Comment Letters
Exhibit H Recirculated Draft Program Environmental Impact Report (RDEIR)
Exhibit I Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR)
Exhibit J Findings of Fact & Statement of Overriding Considerations
Exhibit K Fresno Municipal Code Findings
Exhibit L Housing Element Findings
Exhibit M Fresno Bee Notice [09-10-25]
Exhibit N Planning Commission Resolutions
Exhibit O Carried Policies from HCNSP & WACP
Exhibit P WANSP Regional Park Location Scoring
Exhibit Q Resolution Certifying the West Area Neighborhoods Specific Plan EIR
Exhibit R Resolution Approving Plan Amendment P22-01351
Exhibit S Resolution Approving Plan Amendment P22-01352
Exhibit T Resolution Approving Plan Amendment P22-01353
Exhibit U Ordinance Approving Rezone P22-01353
Exhibit V Presentation
Exhibit W Public Comment Received (Presented to Planning Commission)
Exhibit X Land Use Change Requests (Presented to Planning Commission)
Exhibit Y Public Comment