Exhibit W
Public Comment Received
(Presented to Planning Commission)
Planning Commission
September 30, 2025
Information Packet
ITEMS
File ID 25-1216
Public hearing to consider the adoption of the West Area Neighborhoods Specific Plan and related Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR), State Clearinghouse (SCH No. 2019069117). The following applications have been filed and pertain to approximately 7,077 acres in the Development Area-1 North Development Area.
Contents of Supplement:
Supplemental Exhibit R – Public Comment Received
Supplemental Information:
Any agenda related public documents received and distributed to a majority of the Commission after the Agenda Packet is printed are included in Supplemental Packets.
Supplemental Packets are produced as needed. The Supplemental Packet is available for public inspection in the City Clerk's Office, 2600 Fresno Street, during normal business hours (main location pursuant to the Brown Act, G.C. 54957.5(2). In addition, Supplemental Packets are available for public review at the Planning Commission meeting in the City Council Chambers, 2600 Fresno Street. Supplemental Packets are also available online on the City Clerk's website.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA):
The meeting room is accessible to the physically disabled, and the services of a translator can be made available. Requests for additional accommodations for the disabled, sign language interpreters, assistive listening devices, or translators should be made one week prior to the meeting. Please call City Clerk's Office at 621 -7650. Please keep t he doorways, aisles and wheelchair seating areas open and accessible. If you need assistance with seating because of a disability, please see Security.
Supplemental Exhibit R
From: Audrey Martel
To: PublicCommentsPlanning
Subject: Please support the West Neighborhood area plan! Date: Tuesday, September 23, 2025 12:35:52 PM
External Email: Use caution with links and attachments
Fresno City Planning Commission
2600 Fresno Street
Fresno, CA 93721
Reference: West Area Neighborhood Specific Plan
To Whom It May Concern:
I support the West Area Neighborhood Specific Plan and recommend its approval.
Thank you,
Audrey Martel
From: Janet Chilingerian
To: PublicCommentsPlanning
Subject: West Area Neighborhood Specific Plan Oct 1 Agenda Date: Tuesday, September 23, 2025 5:17:31 PM
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September 23, 2025
Fresno City Planning Commission
2600 Fresno Street
Fresno CA 93721
To Whom It May Concern:
I support the West Area Neighborhood Specific Plan and recommend its approval.
Thank you.
Janet Chilingerian
From: Casey Lauderdale
To: PublicCommentsPlanning
Subject: Comment on ID 25-1216 WANSP via phone
Date: Friday, September 26, 2025 6:12:53 PM
Hello,
Could you please include this email to add to the record a comment that was made via phone?
The property owners of APN 44204017 and 44204018 have requested a land use designation that would allow for truck parking instead of the Plan’s proposal to designate the properties as Residential Medium High (they are currently Residential Medium).
Thank you,
Casey
-
Casey Lauderdale | Supervising Planner
Long Range Planning | Planning & Development
City of Fresno
2600 Fresno Street | Fresno CA 93721
559.621.8515
[email protected]
From: NATALIE ORTIZ
To: PublicCommentsPlanning
Cc: dortiz559; Nortiz559
Subject: Support-West Area neighborhood specific plan (Oct. 1st Agenda) Date: Saturday, September 27, 2025 1:15:05 PM
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To Whom It May Concern:
We support the West Area Neighborhood Specific Plan and recommend its approval.
Thank you,
David Ortiz Sr.
Natalie Ortiz
Elijah Ortiz
From: Mark Saleh
To: PublicCommentsPlanning
Subject: West Area Neighborhood Specific Plan, October 1, Agenda Date: Sunday, September 28, 2025 11:10:39 AM
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September 28, 2025
From:
Mark Saleh
1698 N. Hornet Ave., Fresno, CA 93737
To:
Fresno City Planning Commision
2600 Fresno Street
Fresno, CA 93721
Re: West Area Neighborhood Specific Plan, October 1, Agenda To Whom It May Concern:
I support the West Area Neighborhood Specific Plan and recommend its approval.
Thank you,
Mark D. Saleh
From: [email protected]
To: PublicCommentsPlanning
Subject: West Area Neighborhood Specific Plan
Date: Sunday, September 28, 2025 4:12:00 PM
External Email: Use caution with links and attachments
Fresno City Planning Commission,
I understand that a vote on whether the West Area Neighborhood Specific Plan should be approved will take place on October 1, 2025.
I support the West Area Neighborhood Specific Plan and urge the Commission to approve the Plan.
Thank you,
Paulette Hiraoka
From: Juliet Doty
To: PublicCommentsPlanning
Subject: Support for the West Area Neighborhood Plan
Date: Monday, September 29, 2025 3:35:20 PM
External Email: Use caution with links and attachments
Fresno City Planning Commission
2600 Fresno Street
Fresno, CA 93721
9/29/25
Fresno City Planning Commission
2600 Fresno Street
Fresno, CA 93721
Reference: West Area Neighborhood Specific Plan On the October 1 Agenda
To Whom It May Concern:
I support the West Area Neighborhood Specific Plan and recommend its approval.
Thank you,
Juliet Doty
Until next time,
Juliet
Letter to the Fresno City Planning Commission
October 1, 2025, 6pm
Re: Property Owner Objection to Proposed Zoning Change to APN No. 43305006
My name is Salvatore Giovannotto, and our family owns APN No. 43305006, a 2.9-acre parcel with a street address of 3714 W. Dakota Avenue, Fresno. Perhaps unknown to planning staff because the ownership entity differs, we also own the contiguous “Parkway Village” apartment community (please see below a diagram of both parcels). The proposed West Area Neighborhood Specific Plan (WANSP) proposes to downzone our Dakota parcel, reducing its potential to add much-needed housing. We object to this proposed downzoning because we intend to build housing on our Dakota Parcel (APN No. 43305006) to complement our Parkway Village Apartments.
THE CURRENT ZONING AND PROPOSED DOWNZONE OF APN No. 43305006:
The Dakota parcel (APN No. 43305006) is currently split-zoned: as shown in the diagram below, most of the parcel is designated “Residential – Medium High Density,” with the remainder designated “Residential – Medium Density.” Under the proposed WANSP the parcel would be downzoned to “Residential – Medium Density” with a dual designation of “Park,” a change that would vastly reduce housing capacity — from 12-16 dwelling units per acre to 5-12 dwelling units per acre.
Current Zoning Proposed WANSP Downzoning Subject Parcel
FRESNO’S HOUSING NEEDS:
Fresno urgently needs more housing. As documented in Fresno’s 2023-2031 Multi-Jurisdictional Housing Element, Fresno faces a significant housing shortage and identifies the need to substantially increase the supply of residential units across all types and densities. The Housing Element also emphasizes facilitating site development and removing governmental barriers that constrain housing production.
Downzoning our Dakota parcel from predominantly “Residential – Medium High Density” to “Residential – Medium Density” works against Fresno’s housing objectives by substantially reducing the site’s housing capacity and its potential contribution to the community’s housing supply. Imposing a concurrent “Park” designation on this privately owned land compounds the regulatory and practical barriers to development, creating risk, uncertainty and real obstacles to creating housing on the site.
OUR REQUEST TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION:
To encourage, rather than discourage, housing creation on the Dakota parcel (APN No. 43305006), we respectfully request the following:
1. Extend the majority “Residential – Medium High Density” designation to the remainder of the parcel to eliminate the split zoning, simply the regulation, and facilitate housing creation. a. If full extension is not acceptable, then preserve the parcel’s current split zoning to prevent a downzone of housing capacity.
2. Remove the proposed “Park” designation to avoid creating a layer of regulatory and practical barriers to housing creation.
Taking these steps would align the WANSP with the city’s stated housing objectives and avoid undermining Fresno’s ability to meet the community’s housing needs.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Salvatore Giovannotto
Owner, APN No. 43305006
Emailed 9-30-25
[email protected]
Jennifer Clark, Director
Planning and Development Department
City of Fresno
2600 Fresno Street, 3rd Floor
Fresno, Calif. 93721
My Name is Palwinder Singh Owner for 20 years of parcels 510-022-78 & 510-022-79 Regarding:
West Area Neighborhood Specific Plan – the Plan is intending to convert my 2 properties from community commercial to RM-2. I don’t object to converting from commercial to residential, however I cannot afford a 25 million dollar project nor do I believe that would be a place for one to occur. But would like to develop RM-1 allowing a much less expensive project, that I would soon pursue.
I will attend the Planning and Council meetings, to also speak directly to those in power.
Parcels:
510-022-78 – Aprox 3.71 Acres
510-022-79 - Aprox ½ Acre
September 30, 2025
Jennifer Clark, AICP , Director
Planning and Development Department
City of Fresno
2600 Fresno Street, Third Floor
Fresno, CA 93721
Re: Derrel’s Mini Storage
5645 & 5675 W Shaw Ave, APN 510-040-38S
Dear Director Clark:
This letter is an APPEAL OF THE CHANGE OF THE LAND USE DESIGNATION AND ZONING of the parcel identified above as proposed in the pending West Area Neighborhood Specific Plan (WANSP).
The WANSP proposes to change the Land Use Designation from Residential–Urban Neighborhood and Zoning RM-2, to Mixed-Use–Corridor/Center and Zoning CMX.
The parcel has been developed as a Derrel’s Mini Storage facility since 2022 and is currently a conforming use. The proposed Land Use Change to Corridor-Center and Zoning of CMX will create a non-conforming use condition. Personal Storage is not an allowed use in the CMX Zone. The current zoning of RM-2 allows personal storage with a Conditional Use Permit.
Derrel’s Mini Storage facilities are constantly evolving in response to market changes.
Facilities start with a mix of storage buildings and RV parking and eventually may become fully developed with only buildings as the facility is developed in phases. Phase VI of this facility was recently approved in January 2024; please see the attached approved Site Plan.
The WANSP Public Hearing Notice received on September 24, 2025 states “Please note that businesses, land uses, and buildings that are legally established under current or
older regulations may continue indefinitely. New regulations only apply to new businesses, land uses and buildings. ”
The issue is since not all planned buildings in this facility have been constructed yet it is evident that once the Land Use and Zoning are changed new storage buildings to complete the facility may not be granted building permits due to the parcel being a non-conforming use condition.
Therefore, we respectfully request that the Land Use Designation to Mixed-Use- Corridor/Center and Zoning to CMX changes to this parcel be cancelled so the facility can develop as planned with the subsequent installation of storage buildings with building permits.
If you have any questions please contact me.
Sincerely,
Madelyn Cuellar-Gomez
Entitlement Manager
Cc: Sophia Pagoulataos, Long Range Planning Manager
Casey Lauderdale, Planner, Long Range Planning Division Mike Karbassi, Councilmember District Two
Attachment: Derrel’s Mini Storage facility approved Site Plan
From: Elizabeth Rojo <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2025 3:58 PM
To: Casey Lauderdale <[email protected]>
Cc: Todd Sheller <[email protected]>; Luke Risner <[email protected]> Subject: West Area Neighborhood Specific Plan
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Hi Casey,
As the property owner for APN No 51102201, I am writing to express our full support for the proposed land use changes in the West Area Neighborhood Specific Plan. We are truly excited that the WANSP is finally being heard by the Fresno City Planning Commission tomorrow, and we are looking forward to its approval.
Thank you for your attention to this matter, and we hope for a favorable outcome.