Buyers want choice.
6. Are there specific housing types, or housing densities, that the City should prioritize and plan for over the next 20 years?
• Housing density has continued to increase and most believe that it will continue to do so over the next 20 years. That being said, one of the great advantages Clovis has had is the wide range of housing densities it offers residents. There should be specific strategies in place to al low for the continued development of a wide range of housing types. Housing density over 25-30 units per acre will most likely require structured parking, which is a significant added cost. If the City aims for higher density above 30 units per acre, it is important to have strategies in place to accommodate and support the needed parking.
• I believe that one of the most attractive qualities to Clovis housing is the opportunity for spacious lots. In general , new developments in Fresno have squished houses together so tightly, that a backyard or side yard is but a sliver of concrete. Clovis should prioritize the development of more single-family homes and use the city ’s gift of vast surrounding land to offer p eople something different than what they are able to purchase in Fresno, and most of California. I believe there 277
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3-16 | P a g e G e n e r a l P l a n U p d a t e S t r a t e g y – O u t r e a c h S u m m a r y
should be a minimum side yard and backyard space requirement per square foot of home size.
I understand this may add additional costs to develo pers’ home building budgets, but I believe that our community can continue to attract new residents and offer a higher standard of living than other places in the area and state.
• 5,000 s.f. lots or below is accepted by the market. A product mix with these higher density lots and some low density 6 - 7,000 SF lots would be good.
• The City should adhere to their General Plan by providing lifecycle housing options. The trend will naturally be and has been to higher density developments. I would discourage low d ensity development as much as possible to maximize land within the City.
7. Is there any additional input you would like to provide? • I think that Clovis must choose certain ways to adapt and compromise to continue to grow and offer the Clovis way of life to more people. The city must also think innovatively in zoning and planning. For instance, our company had created a proposal for a 30,000sqft. Clovis Public Market, but was not optimistic about our chances to work through parking constraints on the project after discussions with staff. Therefore , we abandoned an idea that we think would have been an amazing addition to the local economy, in the name of expediency. We have now pivoted to building office/warehouse buildings instead, which are not bad investme nts for our company, and will render benefits to the city, but will not be anything new or innovative for the city. Developers such as ourselves can only tolerate so much lead time and permitting delays on projects. In developers’ positions, time is money, and there is only so much time to get projects off the ground.
Clovis needs to think of the community’s desires and needs, as well as developer’s timelines and feasibility of certain projects. When considering these areas, there should not be any exceptions or compromises made to lower the quality of appearance of projects, but I do believe that more compromising on the part of the city when considering developments of homes and businesses, will help meet the demand of our growing city.
NEXT STEPS
The goal of the joint meeting between the City Council and Planning Commission and the stakeholder surveys was to start a conversation with the City’s decision -makers, staff, and key stakeholders regarding their thoughts and their vision for the City and how the General Plan should address key issues, opportunities, and challenges that are most important to the City of Clovis. Using this feedback, a General Plan Update Strategy will be crafted and presented to the City Council for consideration. Based on the direction the City Council chooses to take, City staff, a consultant team, and any General Plan Technical Steering/Advisory Committee may continue to use this information as well as other future milestone reports to evaluat e priorities and develop goals, policies, and implementation actions that best reflect the community’s vision for the future. 278
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