City of Fresno

2600 Fresno Street

Fresno, CA 93721

www.fresno.gov

Meeting Minutes - Final

Wednesday, August 31, 2022

9:00 AM

Special Meeting

Council Chambers (In Person and/or Electronic)

City Council

President - Nelson Esparza

Vice President - Tyler Maxwell

Councilmembers:

Esmeralda Z. Soria, Mike Karbassi, Miguel Angel Arias, Luis Chavez,

Garry Bredefeld

City Manager - Georgeanne A. White

Interim City Attorney - Rina Gonzales

City Clerk - Todd Stermer, CMC

The City Council for the City of Fresno convened in special open session on August

31, 2022, at 9:00 A.M.

9:02 A.M. ROLL CALL

Present: 7 -

Council President Nelson Esparza

Vice President Tyler Maxwell

Councilmember Esmeralda Z. Soria

Councilmember Mike Karbassi

Councilmember Miguel Angel Arias

Councilmember Luis Chavez

Councilmember Garry Bredefeld

APPROVE AGENDA

On motion of Councilmember Arias, seconded by Councilmember

Soria, that the Agenda be APPROVED. The motion carried by the

following vote:

Aye: 7 -

Esparza, Maxwell, Soria, Karbassi, Arias, Chavez and

Bredefeld

Notice of Special Meeting - Signed

ID 22-1396

OPEN SESSION

Councilmember Soria announced a conflict and recused herself from

Special Meeting item ID 22-1395 regarding an extension of the South Fulton

Street mixed use residential rental project. She left the meeting at 9:05

A.M. and was absent for the duration of the discussion.

RESOLUTION - Finding good cause and public benefit for extension of the

South Fulton Street mixed use residential rental project pursuant to Fresno

Municipal Code Section 4-204 relating to disposition of real property

(Requires five affirmative votes) (City Action)

ID 22-1395

Sponsor: Successor Agency

The above item was introduced to Council by Councilmember Arias and the

applicant, Mehment Noyan. The Executive Director to the Housing

Successor to the Redevelopment Agency of the City of Fresno also

addressed Council.

Upon call, the following member of the public addressed Council: Lisa

Flores.

Discussion on this item included: the removal of Terance Frazier as a

partner on the project; completion of the first and second phases of the

project; the increase in the number of planned units since the last extension;

the length of time other Development Agreements have been in place; the

number of affordable housing units included in the project; the amount of tax

payer money utilized for the project; the original target completion date and

the number of extensions; policies against land banking and making

exceptions by super majority vote of Council; the overall financing for the

project; the timeline of Councilmember Soria's absences during votes on

Terance Frazier related projects before Council; past audits and unresolved

irregularities; fairness when it comes to rejecting real property agreements

based on the number of extensions; issuing a new Request for Proposals as

a fair alternative; the purpose of the state funding allocated to the project

and the inability to use the funds to pay rent, and; the possibility of a chilling

effect on development if extensions are not granted.

On motion of Councilmember Arias, seconded by Council President

Esparza, that the above Action Item be approved. The motion, which

required five affirmative votes, FAILED by the following vote:

Aye: 4 - Esparza, Maxwell, Arias and Chavez

No: 2 - Karbassi and Bredefeld

Recused: 1 - Soria

ADJOURNMENT

City Council adjourned the Special Meeting at 9:29 A.M.