City of Fresno  
City Hall Council Chambers  
2600 Fresno Street  
Meeting Minutes - Final  
Wednesday, September 17, 2025  
6:00 PM  
Regular Meeting  
City Hall Council Chambers  
2600 Fresno Street  
Planning Commission  
Chairperson – Peter Vang  
Vice Chair - Kathy Bray  
Commissioner – David Criner  
Commissioner – Monica Diaz  
Commissioner – Jacqueline Lyday  
Commissioner - Linda M Calandra  
Commissioner – Gurdeep Singh Shergill  
THE PLANNING COMMISSION WELCOMES YOU TO COUNCIL CHAMBERS,  
LOCATED AT CITY HALL, 2600 FRESNO STREET, FRESNO, CALIFORNIA 93721.  
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 Fresno City Planning Commission meetings is  
always encouraged and can occur by attending a meeting in the Council Chambers,  
City Hall, 2nd Floor, 2600 Fresno Street, Fresno, CA 93721. When called to speak  
during a meeting, you may approach the speaker podium upon the Chair’s call for  
public comment.  
All public speakers will have up to 3 minutes to address the Commission pursuant to  
Rule No. 13 of the Planning Commission Bylaws of the City of Fresno (available in the  
City Clerk’s Office).  
SUBMIT DOCUMENTS / WRITTEN COMMENTS –  
1. E-mail – Agenda related documents and comments can be e-mailed to the Planning  
& Development Department. Unless otherwise required by law to be accepted by the  
City at or prior to a Commission meeting or hearing, no documents shall be accepted  
for Commission review unless they are submitted to the Planning and Development  
Department at least 24 hours prior to the commencement of the Commission meeting  
at which the associated agenda item is to be heard. All comments received at least  
24 hours prior will be distributed to the Planning Commission prior and during the  
meeting and will be a part of the official record, pursuant to Article 4 (3).  
a. Email comments to PublicCommentsPlanning@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.  
VIEWING PLANNING MEETINGS (non-participatory) – For your convenience, there  
are ways to view Planning Commission meetings live:  
2. Cable Television: Comcast Channel 96 and AT&T Channel 99  
3. Participate Remotely via Zoom:  
a. The above link will allow you to register in advance for remote participation  
in the meeting via the Zoom platform. After registering, you will receive a  
confirmation email containing additional details about joining the meeting.  
Should any of these viewing methods listed above experience technical difficulties,  
the Commission meeting will continue uninterrupted. Commission meetings will only  
be paused to address verifiable technical difficulties for all users participating via  
Zoom or in the Chambers.  
The City of Fresno’s goal is to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).  
Anyone requiring reasonable ADA accommodations, including sign language  
interpreters, or other reasonable accommodations such as language translation,  
should contact the office of the City Clerk at (559) 621-7650 or clerk@fresno.gov. To  
help ensure availability of these services, you are advised to make your request a  
minimum of 48 hours prior to the scheduled meeting.  
I. ROLL CALL  
Chair Vang called the meeting to order at 6:01 p.m.  
Also present were Jennifer Clark, Ashley Atkinson, Sophia Pagoulatos,  
Phillip Siegrist, Chris Lang, Casey Lauderdale, Kari Camino, and Heather  
Thomas (CAO).  
Present 5 -  
Chairperson Peter Vang, Commissioner Monica Diaz,  
Commissioner Jacqueline G. Lyday, Commissioner Linda  
Calandra, and Commissioner Gurdeep Singh Shergill  
Absent 2 - Commissioner David Criner , and Commissioner Kathy Bray  
II. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE  
6:01 p.m.  
Commissioner Shergill arrived at 6:01 p.m.  
III. PROCEDURES  
6:02 p.m.  
Chair Vang read the procedures aloud.  
IV. AGENDA APPROVAL  
6:03 p.m.  
Siegrist reported no changes to the agenda.  
On motion of Commissioner Diaz, seconded by Commissioner Lyday,  
the AGENDA was APPROVED. The motion carried by the following  
vote:  
Aye: 5 -  
Chairperson Vang, Commissioner Diaz, Commissioner  
Lyday, Commissioner Calandra, and Commissioner Shergill  
Absent: 2 - Commissioner Criner , and Commissioner Bray  
V. CONSENT CALENDAR  
N/A  
VI. REPORTS BY COMMISSIONERS  
6:03 p.m.  
None  
VII. CONTINUED MATTERS  
N/A  
VIII. NEW MATTERS  
Consideration of an Update to Planning Commission Rules and  
Regulations (Bylaws) Regarding Submission of Documents  
VIII-A  
6:04 p.m.  
Atkinson gave a brief introduction on the proposed update to the Planning  
Commission Rules and Regulations (Bylaws). The update can be found in  
Article 4, Section 3 and proposes to modify the deadline for submitting  
documents to no later than 4:00 p.m. the day prior to the item being heard.  
The amendment is designed to ensure that documents timely submitted can  
be reviewed by Staff, timely disseminated to Commissioners, and duly  
included in the record.  
Public Comment:  
No public comment was given.  
Workshop: Basics of Parking Requirements  
VIII-B  
6:06 p.m.  
Lang provided a workshop on the Basics of Parking Requirements including  
the general goals, on-site loading regulations, required on-site parking in  
the various districts, and bicycle parking requirements. He explained  
parking exceptions, reduced parking exceptions for Affordable Housing  
Developments, transit accessibility, Assembly Bill 2097, and other parking  
reductions. He concluded with location restrictions, setback requirements,  
and parking lot landscaping and shading requirements. A copy of the City  
of Fresno Parking Manual was also provided to the Commissioners.  
Commissioners had questions regarding enforcement of shading in parking  
lots, overflow parking flooding into neighborhoods, and parking in downtown  
Fresno. Clark responded to their concerns, and spoke of Grant funding for 2  
new parking garages in downtown Fresno.  
Workshop: West Area Neighborhoods Specific Plan  
VIII-C  
6:31 p.m.  
Lauderdale gave an update on the West Area Neighborhoods Specific Plan,  
including the benefits of Specific Plans, history of West Fresno, and  
concerns from residents such as conditions of roadways, and lack of access.  
She stated that even with positive steps forward, many challenges  
remained, and the community members requested a better pattern of  
development for the West Area, with improved infrastructure and more  
access to needed amenities. This lead to the initiation of the Specific Plan  
back in 2017 and 2018, followed by many community meetings, public  
outreach, and the core visions and guiding principles proposed for the West  
Area. Lauderdale concluded with a break down of areas impacted that were  
identified by the Environmental Impact Report, and was available for  
questions.  
Commissioners thanked Lauderdale for her presentation and were excited  
about growth in Fresno.  
IX. REPORT BY SECRETARY  
6:56 p.m.  
Clark encouraged the Commissioners to read and familiarize themselves  
with the West Area Neighborhoods Specific Plan that will be coming before  
them on October 1, 2025. She also spoke of how Planning is a great tool to  
create vision and encourage development where the market demands it.  
She concluded by telling the Commission the next few meetings are full and  
reminded them of the importance of notifying Staff of their attendance when  
trying to identify quorum.  
X. SCHEDULED ORAL COMMUNICATIONS  
N/A  
XI. UNSCHEDULED ORAL COMMUNICATIONS  
6:59 p.m.  
Four members of the public spoke about concerns with the West Area  
Neighborhoods Specific Plan, boundaries for the Plan, parking, spending of  
Grant money, and lack of community notification.  
XII. ADJOURNMENT  
Chair Vang adjourned the meeting at 7:15 p.m.