THE COMMITTEE WELCOMES YOU TO THE TED C WILLS, LOCATED AT 770 N SAN

PABLO AVENUE, FRESNO, CA 93728

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION – Any interested person may appear at the public hearing

and present written testimony or speak in favor or against the matters scheduled on

the agenda. Public participation during Tower District Specific Plan Implementation

Committee meetings is always encouraged and can occur by attending a meeting in

Ted C Wills located at 770 N San Pablo Avenue, Fresno, CA 93728.

When called to speak during a meeting, you may approach the speaker podium upon

the Chair's call for any additional public comment. Unless otherwise announced, all

public speakers will have up to 3 minutes to address the Committee.

SUBMIT DOCUMENTS / WRITTEN COMMENTS –

Email – Agenda related documents and comments can be emailed to the Long Range

Planning Division. Unless otherwise required by law to be accepted by the City at or

prior to a Committee meeting, no documents shall be accepted for Committee review

unless they are submitted to the Long Range Planning Division at least 24 hours

prior to the commencement of the meeting at which the associated agenda item is to

be heard.

a. Email comments to LongRangePlanning@fresno.gov

b. Emails should include the agenda date and item number you wish to speak on in

the subject line of your email. Include your name and address, for the record, at the

top of the body of your email.

c. Emails will be a maximum of 450 words.

VIEWING MEETINGS (non-participatory) – For your convenience, there are ways to

view Tower District Specific Plan Implementation Committee meetings live:

1. Community Media Access Collaborative website: https://cmac.tv/

2. Cable Television: Comcast Channel 96 and AT&T channel 99

3. Zoom:

https://fresno-gov.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_taAP1qgNRGGeXj2cB5mzQQ

Webinar ID: 951 8694 8275

a) Register in advance for this webinar: After registering, you will receive a

confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

b) If you do not wish for your name to appear on the screen, then use the drop

down menu and click on “rename” to rename yourself.

Should any of these viewing methods listed above experience technical difficulties,

the Committee meeting will continue uninterrupted. Committee meetings will only be

paused to address verifiable technical difficulties for all users participating in Zoom

or in person.

The City of Fresno’s goal is to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

I. Call to Order & Roll Call

Chair called the meeting to order at 5:33 pm and initiated roll call.

Also present were Long Range Planning staff Sophia Pagoulatos, Adrienne

Asadoorian-Gilbert, Jennifer Clark, Ashley Atkinson, and Matthew Chea.

Present 6 -

Chairperson Christopher Johnson, Board Member Michael

Birdsong, Board Member Annie Lokrantz, Vice Chair Janay

Conley, Board Member Myra Coble, and Board Member

Joseph Catania

Absent 1 - Board Member James Kitch

II. Approve Agenda

On motion of Board Member Birdsong, seconded by Vice Chair

Conley, the above AGENDA were APPROVED. The motion carried by

the following vote:

Aye: 6 -

Chairperson Johnson, Board Member Birdsong, Board

Member Lokrantz, Vice Chair Conley, Board Member Coble

and Board Member Catania

Absent: 1 - Board Member Kitch

III. Approve Meeting Minutes

May 14, 2024, Tower District Specific Implementation Committee Regular

Meeting Minutes

III-A

ID 24-1012

On motion of Board Member Lokrantz, seconded by Board Member

Birdsong, that the above Action Item be APPROVED. The motion

carried by the following vote:

Aye: 6 -

Chairperson Johnson, Board Member Birdsong, Board

Member Lokrantz, Vice Chair Conley, Board Member Coble

and Board Member Catania

Absent: 1 - Board Member Kitch

IV. Council District Updates

N/A

V. Staff Updates

N/A

VI. Continued Matters

N/A

VII. New Matters

Workshop on the Draft Tower District Specific Plan Update

VII-A

ID 24-1015

Asadoorian-Gilbert presented on the 1991 Tower District Specific Plan, the

Tower District Specific Plan Update, the public review, and the timeline and

next steps.

Staff emphasized that the release of the Draft Plan is voluntary; however,

they clarified that public comments will be shared with the city council upon

initiation. Furthermore, staff informed the public that the Committee was

established through Resolution number 2021-147, and its members were

appointed by their respective councilpersons.

Public Comment:

Member of the public highlighted the district's oversight of racial equity

issues, including racially binding covenants and redlining. They also

expressed confusion about downzoning racially undesirable lands and the

lack of discussion on the health impacts of certain producers. Additionally,

they pointed out discrepancies between the committee's vote to remove

industrial areas and what was documented, along with concerns about

allowing trucks through residential areas south of Belmont.

Another member expressed worries about the lack of consideration for the

homeless population in the Adoline Historic District and called for measures

to address safety concerns and provide better amenities for the community.

Another attendee emphasized the failure to address equity issues, the

increase in truck traffic impacting the south Tower neighborhood, and the

need for tools to build affordable housing.

Lastly, another member posed questions about the origins of the discussed

issues, highlighted the importance of community support, and expressed a

desire for open space and a park.

Committee:

Conley emphasized the significance of the Plan, highlighting the need for

inclusivity, equity, and the inclusion of redlining in the Plan.

Coble noted the extensive and rigorous process for the Committee member

selection.

Johnson voiced concerns about the handling of the parks section and

inquired about the next steps for the Plan. Clark clarified that the

Committee's recommendations would be presented to the City Council, with

the understanding that the Council could make changes during initiation.

Further discussions revolved around the Committee's ability to influence

policies before submission to the City Council.

Catania reported that the Committee unanimously supported rezoning

industrial land to mixed-use, aiming to encourage businesses to move

westward.

Birdsong reminded the Committee of the motions that were made on May

14, 2024:

• Recommend all Draft Plan policies with comments, as referenced in the

Committee Policy Recommendations document to the City Council for

review.

• Recommend rezoning residences zoned industrial back to residential and

rezone the Central Valley Cheese Factory building from industrial to a zone

more compatible.

• Recommend edits to Policy LU 4.3 to remove reference to ADU’s and

ACU’s.

Coble emphasized the need for Committee members to adhere to the Brown

Act when making comments, and it was agreed that a meeting would be

scheduled in August 2024 to consolidate the Committee's feedback on the

plan.

IX. Adjournment

Next Meeting: August 20, 2024 at Ted C. Wills Community Center

The Chair adjourned meeting at 6:17 pm.