Exhibit J
FRESNO MUNICIPAL CODE FINDINGS
FOR DEVELOPMENT PERMIT APPLICATION NO. P23-03606
DEVELOPMENT PERMIT FINDINGS
Findings per Fresno Municipal Code Section 15-5206
The Director or Planning Commission may only approve a Development Permit application if it finds that the application is consistent with the purposes of this article and with the following:
a. The applicable standards and requirements of this Code.
Finding
a:
Pursuant to Section 15-6704 (Commercial Use Classifications) of the Fresno Municipal Code (FMC), the proposed use is classified as Automobile/Vehicle Repair, Major which is described as repair of automobiles, trucks, motorcycles, motor homes, boats, and recreational vehicles, including the incidental sale, installation, and servicing of related equipment and parts, generally on an overnight basis. This classification includes auto repair shops, body and fender shops, transmission shops, wheel and brake shops, auto glass services, and vehicle painting, but excludes vehicle dismantling or salvaging and tire retreading or recapping.
Pursuant to Section 15- 6705 (Industrial Use Classifications) of the Fresno Municipal Code (FMC), the proposed use is also classified as Outdoor Storage which is described as storage of vehicles or commercial goods or materials in open lots.
Pursuant to Table 15- 1302 (Land Use Regulations – Employment Districts) of the FMC, Automobile/Vehicle Repair, Major and Outdoor Storage, are permitted uses in the BP zone district. The Outdoor Storage use has specific limitations which include outdoor storage shall be incidental to a primary use and screened from public view, and a courtesy notice will be provided to all properties within 1,000 feet of these uses when approved. Therefore, Development Permit Application No. P23- 03606 was filed to facilitate physical development of the site to allow for the construction and establishment of a new truck repair shop with nine (9) commercial truck parking spaces . The proposed project is subject to the development standards of said zone district and the additional regulations including FMC Code Sections 15-2710 (Automobile/Vehicle Service and Repair, Major and Minor) and 15- 2721 (Concrete Batch Plants, Storage Yards, and Similar Uses).
The Project and related exhibits have been reviewed for consistency with all applicable development code standards and requirements and have been conditioned accordingly to ensure full compliance. The project complies with all required development standards of the Business Park (BP) zone district as specified in Article 13 (Employment Districts) of the Fresno Municipal Code (FMC ) and conforms to applicable provisions from Articles 20 (General Site Regulations), 23 (Landscape), 24 (Parking and Loading), and 25 (Performance Standards). The project also complies with all required development standards of FMC Code Sections 15-2710 (Automobile/Vehicle Service and Repair, Major and Minor) and 15- 2721 (Concrete Batch Plants, Storage Yards, and Similar Uses). The project proposal includes nine (9) commercial truck parking spaces, occupying approximately ±4,646 square feet or about ±4.8% of the total site area. As the truck parking/outdoor storage area comprises less than 5% of parcel, it demonstrates an incidental use of the parcel rather than a primary use.
The project was approved on August 14, 2025, and the courtesy notice was mailed to all property owners within a 1,000-foot radius of the project site on August 15, 2025. A Notice of
Action was posted on the City Clerk’s website the same day. Compliance with the Conditions of Approval dated August 15, 2025 is required prior to the construction of the structures and development of the site.
b. The General Plan and any operative plan or policies the City has adopted.
Finding
b:
Development Permit Application No. P23-03606 aligns with the policies of the Fresno General Plan and the Southwest Fresno Specific Plan, which permit uses such as Automobile/Vehicle Repair, Major, Large Vehicle and Equipment Sales, Service, Rental, and Outdoor Storage in appropriate zone districts. The Southwest Fresno Specific Plan provides a long- term vision for land use and transportation. It includes objectives to rezone areas previously designated as Light Industrial, Heavy Industrial, Business Park, a nd Regional Business Park for office uses. The plan also supports rerouting truck traffic away from residential neighborhoods, recommending the elimination of the truck route along North Avenue in favor of alternate routes via Central, West, and Fig Avenues. These changes aim to reduce traffic impacts and are aligned with the Highway 41 + North Corridor Complete Streets Plan. The plan also calls for infrastructure improvements such as buffered bike lanes.
To support these goals, the project has been conditioned to reroute large truck traffic away from residential areas whenever feasible, using Highway 41 and alternate streets such as Central, Elm, and Fig Avenues. The project is also conditioned to minimize the idling of large commercial trucks and provide landscape buffers along the west, east and north property lines. To accommodate future public street improvements, the Department of Public Works has required dedication of a 42-foot easement along North Avenue to be established per the West North Avenue “South Marks Avenue to South Elm Avenue” official plan line. The applicant is also conditioned by Public Works to provide a 12- foot sidewalk with street trees and streetlights.
The proposed truck repair shop and incidental truck parking use is consistent with the current zoning and land use regulations established by the Fresno Municipal Code (FMC). Based on staff’s review, no provisions within the Southwest Fresno Specific Plan have been identified that are more restrictive than those in the FMC or the Fresno General Plan. As such, no specific policies restrict the proposed use, and the project remains consistent with the city’s current regulatory framework. The applicable goals, objectives and policies for the General Plan and Southwest Fresno Specific Plan are cited below. In the event of a conflict between the FMC and an applicable Specific Plan, the provisions of the FMC shall control.
Fresno General Plan Policies
Goal 1: Increase opportunity, economic development, business, and job creation. Use urban form, land use, and Development Code policies to streamline permit approval, promote local educational excellence and workforce relevance, significantly increase business development and expansion, retain, and attract talented people, create jobs, and sustained economic growth, strategically locate employment lands and facilities, and avoid over -saturation of a single type of housing, retail, or employment.
Policy LU-1: Establish a comprehensive citywide land use planning strategy to meet economic development objectives, achieve efficient and equitable use
of resources and infrastructure, and create an attractive living environment.
Policy LU-1-a: Promote Development within the Existing City Limits as of December 31, 2012. Promote new development, infill, and rehabilitation of existing building stock in the Downtown Planning Area, along BRT corridors, in established neighborhoods generally south of Herndon Avenue, and on other infill sites and vacant land within the City.
Objective LU-2: Plan for infill development that includes a range of housing types, building forms, and land uses to meet the needs of both current and future residents.
Policy LU -2-a: Infill Development and Redevelopment. Promote development of vacant, underdeveloped, and re- developable land within the City Limits where urban services are available by considering the establishment and implementation of supportive regulations and programs.
Objective LU-7: Plan and support industrial development to promote job growth.
Objective ED -1: Support economic development by maintaining a strong working relationship with the business community and improving the business climate for current and future businesses.
Policy UF-1: Emphasize the opportunity for a diversity of districts, neighborhoods, and housing types.
Southwest Fresno Specific Plan Policies
Policy LU -2.2: Improve the visual appeal of corridors through streetscape improvements, new development, and the renovation of existing development.
Policy LU -4.6: Encourage prioritization of infill development within existing neighborhoods above new development in undeveloped areas. c. Any applicable design guidelines adopted by the City Council.
Finding
c:
The proposed project meets all required development standards of BP (Business Park) zone district and adheres to the applicable design guidelines set forth in the Fresno General Plan, subject to the Conditions of Approval dated August 15, 2025.
Pursuant to FMC Section 15- 1305 Façade Design Development Standards, the façade requirements for the BP zone district apply only to buildings located within 100 feet of a major street. Given that the proposed truck repair facility is set back ±150.58 feet from the back of the sidewalk along West North Avenue, a designated major street, these façade requirements do not apply to the project.
d. Any approved Tentative Map, Conditional Use Permit, Variance, or other planning or zoning approval that the project required.
Finding
d:
The proposed project does not require a Tentative Map, Conditional Use Permit, Variance, or any other planning or zoning approval beyond the Development Permit (Application No. P23- 03606) and Minor Revis ion (Application No. P26- 00136), approved on February 12, 2026, which authorized the conversion of the existing residence on the subject property into an office in accordance with the Planning Commission’s Conditions of Approval. All special conditions required for the proposed project have been incorporated into the Conditions of Approval which shall be met prior to the issuance of building permits/occupancy. Furthermore, the applicant is required to submit corrected exhibits, inc lusive of all conditions of a pproval, which will ensure that all requirements are met.
e. Fresno County Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan (as may be amended) adopted by the Fresno County Airport Land Use Commission pursuant to California Public Utilities Code Sections 21670—21679.5.1.
Finding
e:
The proposed project is located outside of any designated Airport Influence Area and, therefore, is not subject to review under the Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan.