Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

Thank you. Thank you. Let's pray. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. . . . So, So, Testing, testing.

Carries the coach.

Baby steps. Okay.

Are you serious? Oh, that's funny. I know it's funny, but I used to go. Thomas was a server there. Yeah, our Thomas in the restaurant. And I can remember, like, going in there. And it was one time. I don't know if she was with me. I don't know. Let's pray.

Yeah. Yeah.

Struck there and back, like there's no way.

I know.

Are you planning on moving?

All right, good evening, everyone. It's currently 6.01. We'll go ahead and start tonight's meeting. Let's first start with the roll.

Commissioner Lide. Commissioner Diaz. Here. Commissioner Calandra. Here. Commissioner Shurgill. Here. Commissioner Kreiner. Vice Chair Bray. Here. Chair Vang.

Thank you. Next, we'll do the Pledge of Allegiance. Everyone, please stand. For everyone's convenience, I'll go ahead and read the procedures for tonight's meeting. This meeting is being conducted in person and electronically. For each matter considered by the commission, there will first be a staff presentation followed by a presentation from the project applicant. Testimony from supporters of the project would then be taken, followed by testimony from those in opposition. The applicant will have the right to a final rebuttal presentation prior to closing the public hearing. In accordance with section 13 of article two of the planning commission rules and regulations governing the length of public debate, ALL PUBLIC TESTIMONY FROM THOSE IN SUPPORT AND IN OPPOSITION TO THE PROJECT WILL BE LIMITED TO THREE MINUTES PER PERSON. THREE LIGHTS ON THE PODIUM NEXT TO THE MICROPHONE WOULD INDICATE THE AMOUNT OF TIME REMAINING FOR THE SPEAKER. THE GREEN LIGHT WOULD BE TURNED ON WHEN SPEAKER BEGINS. THE YELLOW LIGHT WOULD COME ON WITH THE SOFT BELL RING WHEN ONE MINUTE IS REMAINING. THE SPEAKER SHOULD BE COMPLETED IN THE TESTIMONY BY THE TIME THE RED LIGHT COMES ON WITH THE FINAL BELL INDICATING TIME HAS EXPIRED. All in-person public testimony must be presented to the Commission at the podium. Any testimony that references race, religion, ethnicity, economic status, national origin, or any other classification protected under state or federal law in a derogatory manner shall be deemed irrelevant and will not be considered by the Commission in making its non-use determinations. If you challenge these non-use matters in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised in oral or written testimony or before the close of the hearing. Next, we have the agenda. Do we have any changes to the agenda?

Thank you, Chair Vang and members of the Planning Commission. There are no changes to the agenda, thank you.

All right, thank you very much. Do we have any statements, motion for the approval of the agenda?

Make a motion to approve the agenda. Second.

All right, we have a motion by Vice Chair Bray. We have a second by Commissioner Diaz. All in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed say no. Agenda's approved. Under consent calendar, we do have regular meeting minutes for April 15th, 2026. Do we have any individuals in the public who would like to comment on the consent calendar? I see none. Do we have any motions to approve the consent calendar? Okay, we have a motion by Commissioner Diaz. We have a second by Vice Chair Bray. All in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed say no. Consent calendar is approved. Do we have any reports from the commissioners? Go ahead, sir.

Yeah, so I just wanna appreciate the city and Mayor Dyer for putting all those flags all over Fresno. Like I said, we need to start taking pride in our city where we live, where we work. And seeing all those flags celebrating our 250 years of independence and freedom, it actually makes us very proud. So I just want to say great job to the council and the mayor. That's the feedback I have gotten. I have met hundreds of people in the last two weeks, and they have really appreciated it. It's actually making our city look beautiful. So thank you for that. I think we need to keep on doing stuff like that just to uplift Fresno. So thank you.

Thank you. Do we have any other reports? I see none. Please note that we have two items that are going to be continued until June 17th. Under new matters, we do have item It's ID 26560. This is a hearing to consider text amendment application number P2601326.

Good evening, Chair Vang, members of the Planning Commission, Adrienne Azzedore and Gilbert, supervising planner with the Planning and Development Department. We are here this evening to present text amendment application number P2601326, which would amend the development code to allow streamlined approval of qualifying housing projects in compliance with program nine of the 2023 to 2031 six cycle housing element and state law. There we go So first we'll provide some background regarding the purpose of this text amendment which will ensure the development code complies with the California government code and the city maintains a compliant housing element and AB 1397, passed in 2017, revised state housing element law to require that local governments provide a credible inventory of land with the capacity to meet their regional housing needs allocation, otherwise known as the RHNA, at each designated income level known as the housing element sites inventory. AB 1397 requires sites included in the inventory to be both available and suitable for residential development. The inventory may include both vacant sites and non-vacant sites that have a realistic demonstrated potential for redevelopment during the planning period. To incentivize development on sites included in the site's inventory, California Government Code Section 65583.2 requires that any site included in the prior two housing elements and any non-vacant site included in at least one prior housing element shall be provided by right development when at least 20% of the units in the development are affordable to lower income households. So focusing a bit on program nine, and as you may recall, the city of Fresno, we did approve the 2023 to 2031 housing element. presented to the Planning Commission in December of 2024, adopted by the City Council also in December of 2024, and then subsequently certified by the State of California Department of Housing and Community Investment in January of 2025. So the housing element identifies 37 programs the city is required to implement over the eight-year planning period. Program 9 is one of the 37 programs established in the housing element. It commits the city to amending the development code to permit ministerial approval of developments that provide at least 20% affordable units to lower income households on non-vacant sites identified in a prior housing element and vacant sites included in two or more consecutive housing elements. This means that city cannot require any form of discretionary review or approval for such projects and that they are approved ministerially. And as mentioned previously, this is already a requirement of state law established through California Government Code Section 65583.2 . This text amendment ensures that our code reflects state law and implements the commitment we made in Housing Element Program 9. This text amendment proposes to amend sections 15-1002, 1102, 1502, 5102, and 6802 of the Fresno Municipal Code. This amendment will apply to qualifying housing projects in the RM2, RM3, CMX, RMX, CR, DTN, DTG, and DTC zone districts, but does not propose any changes to existing zoning. Qualifying projects will be processed ministerially through the zone clearance process and will not require a discretionary review process by the director, planning commission, or city council. I'd like to note that currently residential projects that meet the provisions of the base districts in the RM mixed use and CR zones are processed through a development permit and do not require a public hearing. Housing projects in downtown are currently ministerial and processed as a zone clearance. As such, the provisions of this text amendment do not change the planning commission's authority based on what is currently permitted in the development code today. So in order to qualify through the provisions of this text amendment, a project would have to meet all of the following. Be located on a non-vacant site identified in a prior housing element or a vacant site included in two or more consecutive housing elements. Provide at least 20% of the units affordable to lower income households. and comply with all development standards identified in Fresno Municipal Code section 15-5102 for ministerial review for a zone clearance. And while we just touched upon discretionary versus ministerial approvals on the previous slide, I'd like to take a moment to discuss these approvals a bit further. Under discretionary approval, the review authority, which could be the planning director, planning commission, or city council, can apply a variety of conditions of approval beyond the standards and regulations in the development code. These types of projects may require a public hearing, depending on the project type, and approval of these projects can be appealed. Ministerial approval, on the other hand, is strictly limited to the application of codified objective standards. Projects must meet all standards in the Development Code in order to qualify for ministerial approval. If these standards are not met, ministerial approval cannot be granted. In addition, ministerial projects are approved at the director level and do not require a public hearing. As stated previously, currently residential projects that meet the standards in the development code for base districts in the RM mixed use and CR zones are processed through a development permit and do not require a public hearing. Housing projects in our downtown districts are currently ministerial and processed as a zone clearance. And again, the provisions in this text amendment do not change the Planning Commission's authority based on what is currently permitted in the development code today. And both ministerial and discretionary approvals are appealable. An environmental analysis was prepared. The project was determined to be exempt from CEQA pursuant to section 15061B3 of the CEQA guidelines. And again, the text amendment does not propose or commit the city to a development project and does not propose any changes to existing zoning. The text amendment was presented to project review committees on the following dates as shown on the screen here. And to conclude, staff is recommending adoption to the City Council of Environmental Assessment Number P26-01326 and Text Amendment Application Number P26-01326 to amend the Fresno Municipal Code relating to compliance with the City of Fresno Housing Element and state law. That concludes our presentation. We're available to answer any questions. Thank you.

Thank you for the presentation. Do we have any comments or questions? Thank you. Thank you. We'll go ahead and go to the public. Do we have any individuals like to speak in support? All right, I see none. Any individuals like to speak against? I see none. Close all public comments. We'll bring it back to the commissioners. Do we have any final questions, comments, or motion from the commissioners?

Second.

All right, we have a motion by Commissioner Calandre. We have a second by Vice Chair Bray. All in favor, say aye. Aye. All opposed, say no. Motion's approved. All right, next. Any reports from the secretary?

I don't have a report tonight. Okay.

Any unscheduled oral communications? I see none. Probably 6.15. Everyone, have a wonderful evening. Meeting is adjourned.

Thank you.