City of Fresno  
Ted C Wills  
770 N. San Pablo Ave.  
Fresno, CA 93728  
Meeting Minutes - Final  
Tuesday, October 15, 2024  
5:30 PM  
Regular Meeting  
Ted C Wills, 770 N San Pablo Ave., Fresno, CA 93728  
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 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:  
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).  
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 Sophia Pagoulatos, Adrienne  
Asadoorian-Gilbert, and Ashley Atkinson; consultant team Dan Zack.  
Present 7 -  
Chairperson Christopher Johnson, Vice Chair Janay Conley,  
Board Member Annie Lokrantz, Board Member Michael  
Birdsong, Board Member Myra Coble, Board Member James  
Kitch, and Board Member Joseph Catania  
II. Approve Agenda  
On motion of Board Member Lokrantz, seconded by Board Member  
Birdsong,the above AGENDA was APPROVED. The motion carried by  
the following vote:  
Aye: 7 -  
Chairperson Johnson, Vice Chair Conley, Board Member  
Lokrantz, Board Member Birdsong, Board Member Coble,  
Board Member Kitch and Board Member Catania  
III. Approve Meeting Minutes  
September 17, 2024, Tower District Specific Plan Implementation  
Committee Regular Meeting Minutes  
III-A  
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: 7 -  
Chairperson Johnson, Vice Chair Conley, Board Member  
Lokrantz, Board Member Birdsong, Board Member Coble,  
Board Member Kitch and Board Member Catania  
IV. Council District Updates  
N/A  
V. Chair's Report  
Johnson gave a summary of the two City Council meetings that were held.  
Birdsong asked whether Council members who are recused from voting on  
the Tower Plan due to owning property in the District would also be unable  
to vote on the General Plan. Staff responded that they are following the  
guidance of the City Attorneys in this matter.  
Conley commented on Staff's excellent presentation of the Plan to Council.  
VI. Staff Updates  
Asadoorian-Gilbert gave an update on the City Council workshop, City  
Council initiation, and the voting members: Arias from District 3, Esparza  
from District 7, Maxwell from District 4, and Bredefeld from District 6.  
She also discussed the need to upgrade the level of environmental review  
to an Environmental Impact Report and discussed meeting logistics with a  
potential new location in Fresno City Hall in room 2165A every second  
Tuesday of the month.  
Conley asked about parking arrangements, and staff reassured that a  
parking pass is not required after 5 PM.  
VII. Continued Matters  
N/A  
VIII. New Matters  
Workshop on the Tower District Specific Plan Design Guidelines.  
VIII-A  
Consultant Dan Zack gave a presentation and provided context for the  
creation of the design guidelines and shared a brief history of the Tower  
District.  
IX. Unscheduled Oral Communications  
Brooke Payton asked why the library wasn't mentioned in the Design  
Guidelines presentation.  
X. Adjournment  
The Chair adjourned meeting at 6:12 pm.