1 2025 Annual Progress Report
April 1, 2026
Planning & Development
Department
2 Table of Contents
Table of Contents ............................................................................................................ 2 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 3 About the Annual Progress Report ....................................................................... 3 Presentation to the City Council ........................................................................... 3 Housing Element APR Status ......................................................................................... 3 General Plan Amendments ............................................................................................. 4 Implementation Summary ............................................................................................... 6 2025 Implementation Highlights ........................................................................... 6 Planning Activities .............................................................................................. 13
3 Introduction
The City of Fresno adopted a comprehensive update to the General Plan on December 18, 2014, after extensive community participation. The General Plan establishes a long- range vision and is the primary policy framework for the physical development of the city, reflecting the aspirations of the community. It contains 17 goals, 102 objectives, and 575 implementing policies, which have guided decision-making to achieve equitable economic prosperity, sustainable urban form, efficient public services, diverse housing options, and overall improved quality of life for all Fresnans. The General Plan contains seven elements required by State law (Land Use, Circulation, Open Space, Conservation, Safety, Noise, and Housing) and five optional elements (Economic Development and Fiscal Sustainability, Public Utilities and Services, Historic and Cultural Resources, Healthy Communities, and Implementation). Each Element contains narrative, objectives, and implementing policies to achieve the goals of the General Plan.
The 2014 General Plan departs from prior comprehensive planning efforts in that it did not expand the City’s Sphere of Influence (SOI) and focuses half of new residential development within City Limits (measured by the location of the City Limits on December 31, 2012). In promoting the attainment of complete neighborhoods, it introduced new mixed-use land use categories, allowing a mix of higher density housing and commercial uses to be co-located near high-frequency transit service, including the City’s BRT route along Blackstone and Cesar Chavez Boulevard.
About the Annual Progress Report
Government Code Sections 65400 and 65700 mandate that all cities and counties submit an Annual Progress Report (APR) on the General Plan to the local legislative body, the Governor's Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (LCI), and the Housing and Community Development Department (HCD). APRs must be presented to the local legislative body for review and acceptance.
This APR fulfills State requirements and provides community members and the City Council with an update on progress in implementing the General Plan.
Presentation to the City Council
This report is scheduled to be provided to the City Council on March 19, 2026.
Housing Element APR Status
State law also requires that a separate Annual Progress Report on the Housing Element of the General Plan be submitted to HCD. The City of Fresno’s 2025 Housing Element APR will be submitted to HCD in the Spring of 2026.
4 General Plan Amendments
Table 1 below contains information on each General Plan amendment adopted in 2025, including the Application ID, the date adopted, the applicant, and a brief description of the amendment and how it advanced the implementation of the General Plan.
Table 1: General Plan Amendments (2025)
Application
ID
Date
Adopted Applicant Description
P23-01117 05-22 Precision
Civil
Engineering
Amended the Fresno General Plan and
Roosevelt Community Plan to change the
planned land use designation for the subject
property, APN 313-270-35, for 4.23 acres
from Low Density Residential to Medium
Density Residential. This implements the
General Plan by adding medium density
residential capacity pursuant to General
Plan Goal 7: Provide for a diversity of
districts, neighborhoods, housing types,
residential densities job opportunities,
recreation, open space, and educational
venues that appeal to a broad range of
people throughout the City.
P25-00996 06-12 City of
Fresno
Amended Chapter 3, Table 3-1, of the
Fresno General Plan: Citywide Standards
for Density and Development Intensity,
pertaining to minimum density of the RM-
MH Zone District. This amendment
implements General Plan Goal 7 by
providing a diversity of districts,
neighborhoods, housing types, residential
densities job opportunities, recreation, open
space, and educational venues that appeal
to a broad range of people throughout the
City.
5 P20-00213 07-17 Dirk Poeschel
Land
Development
Services Inc.
Amended the Fresno General Plan to
change the planned land use designation
for the subject property, APN 578-020-13,
for 3.53 acres from Employment Office to
Medium High Density Residential. This
implements the General Plan by adding
density capacity pursuant to General Plan
Goal 7: Provide for a diversity of districts,
neighborhoods, housing types (including
affordable housing), residential densities,
job opportunities, recreation, open space,
and educational venues that appeal to a
broad range of people throughout the City.
P22-01353 10-16 City of
Fresno
Adoption of the West Area Neighborhoods
Specific Plan (WANSP). Updated Figure
LU-1: Fresno General Plan Land Use
Diagram and Figure LU-2: Dual Designation
Diagram. Includes a comprehensive plan to
address the area west of State Route 99
and north of Clinton Avenue, with a mix of
infill and greenfield development
opportunities. The WANSP Specific Plan
Implements the General Plan by increasing
the development of local uses that will help
residents meet their daily needs. The Plan
supports General Plan Goal 7 as it seeks to
provide a diversity of housing types, locating
transit supportive housing along transit
routes, and is paired with infrastructure
policies that facilitate enhanced multimodal
connectivity.
P25-03200 11-20 City of
Fresno
Adoption of the Tower District Specific Plan.
This included amendment of approximately
118 acres in the Fresno General Plan
Planned Land Use map; and the rezoning of
approximately 138 acres in the Tower
District Specific Plan area to be consistent
with the planned land use changes and to
expand the Apartment House Overlay
District. This implements General Plan Goal
9 by promoting a city of healthy
communities and improve quality of life in
established neighborhoods.
6 Each adopted General Plan amendment is analyzed, and findings are made to ensure consistency with the General Plan and that the amendment would not cause detriment to the public health, safety, and general welfare of the residents of the city.
Pursuant to the recommended 10-year cycle of General Plan updates, the City will propose a number of amendments in 2025-2027. Table 2 below contains information on these anticipated amendments. This information is tentative and subject to change.
Table 2: General Plan Anticipated Amendments (2025-27)
Chapter Description Comments
Multiple
Chapters
Climate Adaptation and
Environmental Justice.
Updating multiple chapters to
incorporate climate and
environmental justice policies.
State mandate. Required for next
General Plan or upon simultaneous
update of two Elements. Anticipated
adoption in 2026.
Urban Form Housing Implementation
Text Amendments. Updates
to the General Plan required
to remain consistent with
proposed updates to the
Development Code.
Series of amendments will contain
updates to the Development Code
(and General Plan, as needed for
consistency) to remove barriers to
housing production. Anticipated
adoption in 2026.
Urban Form Central Southeast Area
Specific Plan. Update Figure
LU-1: Fresno General Plan
Land Use Diagram.
Comprehensive plan to address the
area east of downtown, which has
infill development opportunities.
Anticipated adoption in 2026.
Urban Form Southeast Development
Area Specific Plan. Update
Figure LU-1: Fresno General
Plan Land Use Diagram and
Figure LU-2: Dual
Designation Diagram
Comprehensive plan to address the
area east of the existing city limits
and within the Sphere of Influence,
which has greenfield development
opportunities. Anticipated adoption in
2026.
Implementation Summary
2025 Implementation Highlights
Economic Development and Fiscal Sustainability
The City of Fresno achieved notable economic development milestones by completing the Local Immigrant Integration and Inclusion Grant program. In partnership with Central Valley Immigrant Integration Collaborative (CVIIC), the grant provided $425,650 to support entrepreneurship and digital literacy centered training to Spanish-speaking immigrants in the City of Fresno. At the conclusion of the approximately 26-month program, a total of 10 entrepreneurship training cohorts with a total of 199 participants 7 completing the training. This resulted in 17 new business start-ups and 35 business expansions. In addition, a total of 36 cohorts and 388 participants completed the digital literacy training.
In partnership with PG&E, over $735,000 in grants were awarded to 55 locally owned restaurants in Fresno, enabling them to reduce costs by purchasing and upgrading to energy-efficient equipment.
Revitalization efforts progressed with the completion of four façade improvement projects in Chinatown and Downtown, with 15 more currently underway. Feasibility studies for the Property-Based Improvement District (PBID) are also active for both the Blackstone and Belmont corridors.
City staff represented Fresno at the SelectUSA Investment Summit, increased engagement with Team California, and met with prospective companies at major industry events, including ICSC in Las Vegas, SemiCon West in Phoenix, and the World Ag Expo in Tulare. The City also strengthened regional partnerships and community engagement by participating in and sponsoring events like the Central Valley Women’s Conference and the San Joaquin Valley Manufacturing Alliance Summit, supporting ongoing workforce, industry, and economic growth efforts.
The City celebrated important project milestones, including the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Rivian in August and the groundbreaking of Coast Aluminum’s 160,000-square-foot expansion facility.
Urban Form, Land Use, and Design
Planning-Related Efforts
2025 saw several long-range planning projects progress towards completion. The Tower District Specific Plan was adopted in the Fall of 2025. The plan seeks to preserve the unique cultural aspects of the historically older neighborhood while enhancing equity, walkability, and community amenities.
The City of Fresno is currently drafting its Climate Adaptation Plan and Environmental Justice Element. The draft is expected to be released by the middle of 2026. Current progress of the project can be viewed at www.fresno.gov/cap-ej.
The recirculated ISMND and revised Plan for Central Southeast were finalized in October of 2025. The recirculated ISMND and revised Plan were released for public review from December 19, 2025, through January 19, 2026. The project was scheduled for consideration and recommendation by the Planning Commission on February 4, 2026, followed by City Council consideration on March 19, 2026.
The City participated in the Multi-Jurisdictional Housing Element process, administered by the Fresno Council of Governments. After wide-ranging community outreach efforts 8 over a two-year period, the City’s 6th Cycle Housing Element was adopted in December of 2024 and certified by HCD in 2025.
In order to increase housing capacity to meet local housing needs, the City Council initiated a text amendment to the Development Code that would allow for the conversion of existing office buildings to residential units, allow new residential uses on Office- zoned land, and to allow for certain residential developments near bus stops and in Mixed-Use districts to be processed ministerially. The City released a Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) for public comment in November 2024 and the proposed text amendment and MND was presented to City Council and adopted in Fall of 2025.
In addition, the City Council initiated and adopted a large-scale text amendment to the Development Code that are intended to reduce barriers to housing and align with the programs of the adopted 2023-2031 6th Cycle Housing Element. These amendments ensure consistency with State housing law and support the City’s housing objectives.
Mobility and Transportation
Active Transportation Projects
In 2024, FAX was awarded $5.2 million in grant funding through the California Air Resources Board (CARB) Sustainable Transportation Equity Project (STEP) grant program. The project started in early 2025. The funding supports a range of projects aimed at enhancing mobility, safety, and access for Fresno residents, with a particular emphasis on encouraging transit use through community engagement.
FAX collaborated with Highway City Community Development (HCCD) to conduct outreach to identify priority locations for STEP grant-funded improvements. Planned interventions under this project will include:
• High-Intensity Activated Crosswalks (HAWK) to improve pedestrian safety at key intersections;
• Sidewalk improvements to enhance connectivity and accessibility for pedestrians;
• Bike rack installations to support first- and last-mile connections to transit; and Urban greening initiatives to improve the comfort and attractiveness of the pedestrian and transit environment.
These improvements collectively advance General Plan objectives related to safe, accessible, and multimodal transportation options for all Fresno residents, with a focus on underserved communities.
Construction of the Rashad Al-Hakim Jr. Trail was completed in 2025. The Class I trail spans approximately 0.8 miles, traversing Southwest Fresno along the Fanning Ditch alignment between West and Thorne Avenues. The trail includes trail and street lighting and over 100 trees and landscaping.
9 The Tulare Complete Streets Project was completed in early 2025. The project repurposed Tulare Avenue between Sixth Street and Cedar Avenue, reducing the number of vehicle travel lanes to construct Class II bike lanes, and included the construction of new sidewalks on the south side of Tulare, streetlights, and curb ramps enhancing active transportation travel options for students and residents of southeast Fresno.
The City of Fresno continued the work to update its Active Transportation Plan and create a Vision Zero Action Plan to plan for complete, connected active transportation networks and help lower pedestrian fatalities and vehicular collisions Both Plans are anticipated to be adopted in Spring 2026.
Roadway Improvements
The City of Fresno awarded a contract to AECOM Technical Services, Inc. for professional engineering services for the design of plans and general construction contract documents for the BNSF Blackstone McKinley Grade Separation Project. The Project is being supported by funding from Measure C and will create a double-grade railroad separation at the busy intersection located just east of Fresno City College. The grade separation will eliminate the existing at-grade crossing of the BNSF tracks at North Blackstone and East McKinley separating train traffic from vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists. Construction is anticipated to start in 2026; 2029 is the targeted year for completion.
Parks, Open Space, and Schools
Measure P Implementation
Measure P is a voter-approved 3/8-cent sales tax that provides funding for Fresno’s parks, arts, and culture. It was approved by voters in 2018 and went into effect in 2021.
The funds support park maintenance, the development of new parks, programming and job training, arts and culture initiatives, trails, beautification, the San Joaquin River Parkway, and ongoing planning and oversight.
Twelve percent of Measure P funding is allocated to the development of local cultural arts, and projects are funded through the Cultural Arts Grant Program. The Expanded Access to Arts and Culture Grant Program is designed to help fulfill the Cultural Arts Plan by supporting diverse programming, expanding access to arts opportunities and fostering partnerships that strengthen Fresno’s cultural landscape.
In 2025, the PARCS department continued to expand new methods of connecting with the community including emails and social media campaigns. These efforts have driven record engagement for surveys related to Cultural Arts Plan and The Highest-Need Neighborhoods definition.
10 Parks Improvements
Multiple improvements were made to parks in 2025, including new shade, upgraded play areas, benches, lighting, play field improvements, fencing, landscape and irrigation improvements, and accessibility improvements.
During this time, construction continued on the new $8.7 million, 10-acre, Les Kimber Park in Southwest Fresno. The park will be the central open space of the West Creek Village Master Development, which was detailed in the 2017 Southwest Fresno Specific Plan. The scope of work includes the construction of a new public street (West Creek Village Way). Park amenities include flexible green space, a picnic area, restrooms, and a children’s play area inspired by the Sierra Nevada mountains. The park is designed to incorporate a variety of future recreational programs. The central feature of the park’s landscape is the “Park Peak” – a prominent sculpted landform providing views over the park and surrounding neighborhood.
The expansion of Radio Park was initiated last year and will break ground in 2026.
Radio Park is located near the intersection of First and Clinton near the Fresno Art Museum. With an investment of over $10 million dollars, the park will pay tribute to the radio tower and the adjacent Fresno Art Museum. Updates to this park include ADA pathways, parking lot expansion, picnic areas, new shade structures, concrete seat walls, a new amphitheater with stage, decorative art panels and art kiosk, play area renovations, tree plantings and upgrades to landscaping and irrigation.
Broadway Parque, a pocket park in the Tower District, opened in 2025. The nearly $3 million investment has activated the space and included the following amenities: a play structure and swing set for 2-5 year-olds, an inclusive swing set for 5-12 year-olds, pour-in-place rubber play surfacing and shade sails, interactive musical play features, water smart landscape, an elevated central terrace with metal cantilever shade structure as well as accessible paths and picnic areas with tables.
The City also broke ground in 2025 on the new 4.5-acre Dolores Huerta Park at the northeast corner of Milburn and Dakota Avenues. The park will provide green space, playgrounds, dog park, skate park, jogging track, multi-use courts, splash pad, shade structures, picnic areas, and landscape amenities. The project will also include street improvements to provide safe access to the park.
In 2023, the City approved a new 49-acre regional park, Peach Park, newly renamed the Southeast Fresno Sports Complex, to provide green space and amenities for passive and active recreation for the Southeast Fresno community. In 2025, construction was underway. Development of the park will be divided into three phases, with construction of Phase 1 started in 2025. Phase 1 encompasses the southwest section of the park, along Peach Avenue and Geary Street; it includes an open green space, a central plaza area with picnic tables and shade structures, an artificial turf sports field, playgrounds, parking, and restroom facilities. 11 Funded by the Transformative Climate Communities Program, the reconfiguration and modernization of Mariposa Plaza was in construction throughout last year and will opened in late 2025. This public plaza is centrally located in the Fulton Corridor and is deeply connected to Fresno’s history. The upgrades encompass tree planting, landscaping, lighting enhancements, the installation of permeable paving, two stages, a shade structure, and related utility improvements. The plaza will continue to serve its historical purpose as a gathering place for public speaking and community events and contribute to the vibrancy of downtown Fresno’s art scene Additional outdoor amenities that were completed in 2025 include upgrades to the Roeding Park, Woodward Park, Cary Park, and Willow and Balch tot lots, the addition of eight dedicated pickleball courts with lighting and shade at Rotary East Park, brand new cricket pitches at Jaswant Singh park and the Regional Sports Complex, a new CMU wall and shade structure at Cal Tupman park and additional upgrades to the Pétanque court, hockey rink, bleachers and baseball field turf at Cary Park.
Parks Programs
The PARCS Department offers many programs that improve the quality of life in Fresno.
In 2025, the PARCS Department expanded programming for youth and seniors at community facilities. The Department also continued existing joint-use agreements with school districts and Fresno Metropolitan Flood Control District. A new senior program focused on digital literacy was introduced in September 2025, helping older adults gain confidence in using technology to bridge the digital divide.
Data collected during this reported period indicates community participation of 20,963 unique individuals in PARCS programming. In total, participants attended programs a total of 698,055 times. PARCS continues to explore grant opportunities to expand programming offerings and meet growing needs of the community.
Public Utilities and Services
Utilities:
The Department of Public Utilities advanced the General Plan’s utility objectives in 2025 through a combination of design completions, construction progress, and ongoing programs across its Wastewater, Water, and Solid Waste divisions.
The Wastewater Division supported General Plan Objectives PU 4 through PU 7 by completing designs for several infrastructure projects, including the North Avenue Sewer Trunk Realignment and 66 Inch Trunk Sewer Main—both funded in the FY 25– 26 budget with construction scheduled for 2026. Additional design work was completed for the Replacement of Regional Wastewater Reclamation Facility (RWRF) fiber optic cabling, the 2 Water Booster Pump Station Redundancy Project, and Headworks Structural Rehab Phase 2, and the Energy Efficiency Improvements guaranteed savings project. Construction completed during the year included upgrades to Programming 12 Logic Control Systems 1 and 5, improvements to the reclamation well power pole, emergency sewer repairs on Butler Avenue and Eighth Street, completion of Headworks Structural Rehab Phase 1, installation of transformer remote oil testing retrofit kits, and in house design and installation of the ADM Pipeline (FOG Station) that receives fats, oils, and grease processing.
The Water Division supported General Plan Objective PU 8 by completing designs for site security improvements: PS 165, PS 197, PS 058A, and T-4 and the water main replacement projects in the Clinton–University and Teilman–West areas, an emergency generator project, and a natural gas engine–to–electric motor conversion. Construction achievements included site security upgrades to PS 174 and PS 144, completion of the Calwa Townsite Phase II water main replacement, and transmission grid main replacements along between Divisadero and Amador Street, “L” Street, and Stanislaus Street.
The Solid Waste Division continued to advance General Plan Objective PU 9 through ongoing efforts such as the Landfill East Slope Regrading Project and the Operation Clean Up Program, which provides bulky item disposal, tire amnesty, and shredding events.
Beautify Fresno
With the combined efforts of Beautify Fresno, community volunteers, and collaborative clean up days, 2.25 million pounds of trash were collected from city streets in 2025.
Beautify Fresno also cleaned 150,000 square feet of graffiti with the Graffiti Abatement Team.
Resource Conservation and Resilience
The Transformative Climate Communities grant program is funding Sustainable Transportation Infrastructure and Chinatown Urban Greening projects that aim to enhance the pedestrian infrastructure in Chinatown. This will be achieved by installing streetlights, planting trees, reconstructing curb ramps, crosswalks, filling sidewalk gaps, and reconstructing China Alley. These enhancements are being implemented along F Street from Fresno to Cesar Chavez (Ventura), Mariposa Street, Kern Street, and China Alley.
In 2024, to better prepare for potential critical hazards, Fresno partnered with 17 other valley cities and districts to create a Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan. This plan identifies a community profile of the Central Valley and assesses the varied risks of each region along with mitigation strategies and policy commitments from each jurisdiction. The plan is in draft form and is expected to be adopted in 2026.
13 Healthy Communities
Brownfields
The City advanced its Healthy Communities and Brownfields goals in 2025 by expanding its capacity to clean up and repurpose underutilized land, strengthening neighborhood health, and supporting reinvestment in disadvantaged areas. Major accomplishments included completing all remaining environmental assessments under the 2019 Community Wide Assessment grant, delivering development concepts for priority sites in Chinatown and Southwest Fresno, and significantly expanding community engagement through a new outreach partnership. The Brownfields HUB website launched as a centralized public resource, and Les Kimbrough Park moved into construction, transforming a long vacant brownfield into a new recreational asset for West Fresno.
The City also positioned itself for long term success by initiating cleanup planning for two new Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) projects, 887 Fulton Street and 716 W. Kearney Boulevard, both of which advanced through ABCA development, Section 106 review, and early cleanup scoping. Fresno secured a $750,000 RLF Supplemental award to expand cleanup financing and received a new FY25 Community Wide Assessment grant, providing four additional years of assessment, investigation, and planning resources. Together, these investments strengthen the City’s ability to accelerate site reuse, expand equitable access to healthy community amenities, and advance General Plan objectives related to Climate Adaptation and Environmental Justice, economic opportunity, and neighborhood resilience.
Housing & Homeless Services
The City of Fresno’s Mobile Shower and Restroom Unit has provided a total of 17,528 showers for individuals experiencing homelessness.
Emergency shelters have also achieved notable outcomes. Since 2021, 11,074 individuals have accessed various emergency shelter services. The average length of stay in these shelters has decreased from 91 days to 76 days.
Additionally, safe exits have increased from 50% in 2024 to 60% in 2025, reflecting progress in connecting individuals to stable housing solutions. Since 2023, 578 individuals have successfully exited into permanent housing, and after two years, 73% have remained housed.
The City of Fresno continues to collaborate with organizations like Fresno Housing to acquire and create affordable housing for our residents as Fresno still faces a dire need for more housing.
In addition, the Mortgage Assistance Program has helped a total of 50 families become first-generation homeowners, 41 in 2024 and 9 more in 2025. The program specifically 14 targets low-income and first-time homeowners and provides a loan that is forgiven after 15 years of ownership.
Planning Activities
Table 3 contains information on planning activities that occurred in 2025, including the name of the activity, its status, and comments on key decisions or milestones. 15 Table 3: 2025 Planning Activities
Planning Activity 2025 Status Comments
Brownfields Activities Ongoing
Central Southeast Area
Specific Plan In Progress
South Central Specific Plan Sent for
Additional Review
Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU)
Program Completed
Standard Plans and ADU
Guidebook completed,
development code update
included in Housing
Implementation Development
Code Text Amendments,
below.
Multi-Jurisdictional Housing
Element
Adopted by City
Council
Fresno’s Housing Element was
certified by HCD in January
2025.
Southeast Development Area
Specific Plan In Progress Update of 2008 Draft Plan
Tower District Specific Plan
Update
Adopted by City
Council
Tower District Specific Plan
was adopted in the Fall of
2025.
Housing Implementation
Development Code Text
Amendments
In Progress
Batch 1 adopted in June 2025.
Batch 2 adoption anticipated in
2026.
VMT Mitigation Program Completed VMT Mitigation Program adopted on November 6, 2025.
West Area Neighborhoods
Specific Plan
Adopted by City
Council
West Area Neighborhoods
Specific Plan adopted October
16, 2025.
Residential in Office
Development Code Text
Amendment
Adopted by City
Council
Residential in Office
Development Code Text
Amendment adopted
November 6, 2025.
Farmland Preservation
Program Started
West Shaw TOD Study Started