Exhibit F – Neighborhood Meeting Information
You’re Invited to our Neighborhood Meeting
REGARDING THE PROPOSED RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT OF
8715 NORTH CHESTNUT AVENUE
THE MEETING WILL BE HELD AT TOWNEPLACE SUITES BY MARRIOT 580 WEST SHAW AVENUE, CLOVIS, CA 93612
SEQUOIA & EXECUTIVE ROOM
ON MONDAY, NOVEMBER 14TH, 2022 MEETING STARTS AT 6 PM
Everyone is welcome!
There will be a presentation followed by discussion and plenty of opportunity for community input. Neighbor feedback is encouraged.
Proposed Project: Fresno/Newbury LP , owner of ±2.20 acres of property generally located on the west side of North Chestnut Avenue between the intersections of East Shepherd and East Teague Avenues, at 8175 North Chestnut Avenue (APN: 403- 532- 28). The applicant proposes to rezone the subject property from RS-4 (Residential Single Family, Medium Low Density) to RM-1 (Residential Multi-family - Medium High Density), and change the land use designation from Medium Low Density Residential to Medium High Density Residential for a propos ed apartment project. Development Permit Application No. P21 -06232 proposes a 32- unit apartment complex consisting of four 5,750 square foot two-story buildings and a 1,069 sq foot leasing and managers office on a vacant parcel. In addition, on and off-site improvements are proposed including but not limited to a new drive approach, 79 new parking stalls, pool, trash enclosures, landscaping, curb, gutter, and sidewalks.
QUESTIONS?
PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT THE PROJECT ARCHITECT
Contact:
Ubaldo Garcia Hernandez, Licensed Architect
Villa Di Ubaldo, Architecture, Engineering, and Consulting Tel: 559-871-5534 email: [email protected]
Fresno/Newbury Neighborhood Meeting
Question 1: What have you done with regards to an EIR?
We have prepared an environmental report per the City of Fresno Municipal Code.
The correct answer was an Environmental Assessment.
Question 2: Are you preparing a traffic study?
No, we are not being required to generate a full traffic study.
Question 3: Are you zoned for apartments?
No, we are in the process rezoning the property, that is the purpose of this meeting.
Question 4: How will this project affect the surrounding area’s property values?
We are not qualified to make any assessments pertaining to property values.
Question 5: Why don’t you have individual garages?
We designed the project without garages underneath in order to maintain the buildings as 2 story rather than 3 story building.
Question 6: Is this project intended for Fresno State student housing? No, these are luxury apartments and they are not intended for student housing.
Question 7: How many parking spaces are you providing per unit?
We’re providing 68 parking stalls in total which exceeds our requirement by 25%.
Question 8: Is the apartment going to be gated?
Yes, we are proposing an automatic gate with a guest call box & turnaround.
Question 9: What kind of traffic study and improvements are you proposing at the bottleneck at Chestnut where the road merges from a 2 lane to a single lane?
We are not being asked to provide a traffic study for Chestnut and we are only required to improve the street frontage adjacent to our property.
Question 10: Is there any thought given to not having any West facing windows in order to protect the privacy of the two properties with swimming pools?
It is virtually impossible to design a 2-story project without invading into somebody’s privacy, however the City of Fresno has very strict buffering and landscaping requirements which we are required to follow.
Question 11: What is the height of the fence abutting the surrounding neighbors? We believe the city standard is 6ft, but if the city allows it, we may increase it to 7ft, however, this will not have any affect from 2 story views.
Question 12: What is your lighting plan to prevent light being shined into neighbor’s yards?
We don’t have a lighting plan at this time, but we will follow the City of Fresno’s lighting ordinance which prohibits a project from shining light onto neighbors.
Question 13: Does this project include a party room that can be rented out? No, the pool and pool house are for private use by the tenants only.
Question 14: What is the maintenance plan for the ponding basin and drainage canal at the rear of the property?
We plan on following the FMFCD requirements.
Question 15: Is this apartment project going to be section 8 allocated?
No, this is a market rate project.
Question 16: Are you proposing any covered parking?
Yes, most of our parking is under covered carports.
Question 17: Are the dumpsters going to be placed near neighbors? Yes, we are proposing trash enclosures back-to-back with our neighbors on the North side, but we are proving 1 trash enclosure for each building in order to avoid overspilling of trash and thereby reducing trash odors.
Question 18: Do you know how much you’re going to charge for rent and how many people will be allowed in each apartment?
I cannot comment on a dollar amount, but I can reassure you that these apartments will be very well managed and not overcrowded.
Question 19: How many bedrooms will each apartment be?
All units are 2 bedroom with 2 full bathrooms.
Question 20: How many residential units are you allowed under the existing zoning? The existing zoning is for Medium to Low Density and we are changing it to Medium to High Density.
Question 21: Will there be a hearing where a person can voice their comments? Yes, you can voice your comments at the planning commission meeting.
Question 22: Why don’t you propose single family homes instead of apartments? I am just the architect; I cannot comment on the owner’s wishes.
Question 23: How many homes could you fit on this property? It would be very difficult to fit more than 8 lots.
Question 24: What is the plan with the Southern neighbor’s property? We have no knowledge of the neighbor’s future development plans.
Question 25: What is the address of other properties owned by this property owner? I am not sure that I can share that information.
Question 26: What is the style of the apartments?
These apartments are designed as Modern Mediterranean.
Question 27: What is the size of each apartment?
Each unit is 1232 sq.ft. which is quite large for a 2-bedroom unit.
Question 28: Is there a project in Fresno similar to this one? Yes, there is a similar looking building at the North East corner of Herndon & Willow.
Question 29: What kind of flooring are you proposing, would you consider polished concrete floors?
We have not gotten to the point where we can decide interior finishes, but we’ll be glad to consider it.
Question 30: Why are you wasting so much space at the front of the property? The city requires a minimum setback from the street that must be landscaped.
Question 31: Where will people park if they want to go to the leasing office? People will use the available parking stalls located outside of the gate near the pool.
Question 32: Who is going to be the contractor?
We are not at that stage yet; we are at the very beginning of a very long plan approval process.
Question 33: When are you planning on starting construction on this project? As soon as possible, but it may take 18 – 24 months to go from project approval to final building plans.
Question 34: Is the neighbor’s input going to have any impact on the approval of this project?
Neighbor’s input does have an impact on the city’s district decision to support or disapprove of the project, however, the final decision is taken by the planning commission.
Question 35: Will the neighbors be notified when the project goes to planning commission?
Yes, I believe that anyone who lives within 1000 ft of the project will get notified.
Architect’s closing remarks; The neighborhood meeting was held in accordance with city guidelines. We presented 3ft x 4ft posters showing the site plan, vicinity map, floor plans, and exterior elevations for the project. At the start of the meeting, most neighbors were very concerned by the proposal of an apartment complex being built near their property. As the meeting progressed, a lot of their pressing concerns got put to rest by our reassurance that this project is well thought out and it will maintain a high standard of living in their community. I reassured the neighbors that we are proposing a beautiful, well designed, and high-quality apartment project, not a low quality, overcrowded project that is only intended to squeeze as much money out of the property as possible. Having said that, there were a handful of neighbors that walked out of the meeting because they did not want any apartments near them. I did my best to provide as much relevant and accurate information as I could, unfortunately I was not able to satisfy everyone who attended the meeting, mainly, the neighbor who was only interested in the environmental report and traffic study. After I had answered all the neighbor’s questions, a dozen or more neighbors came to the front to look at the drawings of the project and I heard several complements about the project and our proposed design. I feel confident that the neighborhood meeting served its intended purpose by informing the neighbors of what is being proposed near their homes and also gave them an opportunity to ask questions or give comment about the project. Those neighbors that were and will remain against the project did not find the meeting helpful because they just wanted to voice their objection.
We believe that neighbor insight is very important for the success of a project and we strive to uplift the communities in which we build.