City of Fresno  
2600 Fresno Street  
Fresno, CA 93721  
Meeting Minutes - Final  
Thursday, June 19, 2025  
5:30 PM  
Regular Meeting  
Fresno City Hall, Second Floor Room 2165  
Tower District Specific Plan Implementation  
Committee  
Chairperson - Christopher Johnson  
Vice Chair - Janay Conley  
Board Member - Annie Lokrantz  
Board Member - Michael Birdsong  
Board Member - Myra Coble  
Board Member - James Kitch  
Board Member - Joseph Catania  
THE COMMITTEE WELCOMES YOU TO FRESNO CITY HALL. LOCATED AT 2600  
FRESNO STREET, FRESNO, CALIFORNIA 93721, ROOM 2165.  
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  
City Hall room 2165 located at 2600 Fresno Street, Fresno, California 93721.  
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:  
2. Cable Television: Comcast Channel 96 and AT&T channel 99  
3. Zoom:  
https://fresno.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_vd76-Ro1Tb-qFVjAtgt0aQ  
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).  
Anyone requiring reasonable ADA accommodations, including sign language  
interpreters, or other reasonable accommodation such as language translation,  
should contact the Planning Department, 559 621 8277 within 48 hours of the  
meeting.  
I. Call to Order & Roll Call  
Chair called the meeting to order at 5:30 pm and initiated roll call.  
Also present were Long-Range Planning Staff Jennifer Clark, Maya  
Mubarak, Michelle Zumwalt, and Preston Her.  
Present 6 -  
Chairperson Christopher Johnson, Vice Chair Janay Conley,  
Board Member Annie Lokrantz, Board Member Myra Coble,  
Board Member James Kitch, and Board Member Joseph  
Catania  
Absent 1 - Board Member Michael Birdsong  
II. Approve Agenda  
On motion of Vice Chair Conley, seconded by Board Member  
Lokrantz, the ITEM was APPROVED. The motion carried by the  
following vote:  
Aye: 6 -  
Chairperson Johnson, Vice Chair Conley, Board Member  
Lokrantz, Board Member Coble, Board Member Kitch and  
Board Member Catania  
Absent: 1 - Board Member Birdsong  
III. Approve Meeting Minutes  
May 15, 2025, Tower District Specific Plan Implementation Committee  
Meeting Minutes  
III-A  
On motion of Board Member Coble, seconded by Board Member  
Lokrantz, that the above Action Item be APPROVED. The motion  
carried by the following vote:  
Aye: 6 -  
Chairperson Johnson, Vice Chair Conley, Board Member  
Lokrantz, Board Member Coble, Board Member Kitch and  
Board Member Catania  
Absent: 1 - Board Member Birdsong  
IV. Council District Updates  
N/A  
V. Chair's Report  
Johnson spoke about the recently adopted vacant building ordinance  
recently passed by council.  
VI. Staff Updates  
Clark mentioned that at the July meeting, the Design Guidelines will include  
a chapter dedicated to architectural styles.  
VII. Continued Matters  
N/A  
VIII. New Matters  
Tower District Specific Plan June 2025 Draft  
VIII-A  
Clark spoke about the reshaping of the Tower District Specific Plan draft  
including narrative changes and emphasis on the Health and Equity  
Framework. The Draft is scheduled for final comments along with the  
release of the EIR for August later this summer. New maps have been  
added to the document, along with an implementation chapter that outlines  
how the Plan will be executed in the future. The Tower Entertainment  
District is on a separate timeline, but assured that staff is still working on it.  
Discussion on the color of paint that the Historic Preservation Association  
VIII-B  
should use for the lamp post.  
Catania summarized the discussion of the Tower District Historic Lamp post  
colors. There has been serious discussion regarding where and what colors  
should be used in regards to consistency and defining areas. Further  
painting has been postponed until the fall. Further community discussions  
will be conducted by Council Member Perea's office.  
IX. Unscheduled Oral Communications  
Member of the public commented on their preference for the green lamp  
post over the black lamp posts, stating that green creates a more historical  
feeling. They also inquired about the boundaries of the Tower District Area.  
X. Adjournment  
Johnson adjourned the meeting at 6:20pm