3 URBAN FORM, LAND USE, AND DESIGN

The Urban Form, Land Use, and Design Element focuses on establishing a structural framework for the city, enhancing the character of neighborhoods and districts, creating vibrant centers of activity and a public realm that is engaging and livable, crafting a tapestry of distinctive, connected communities, and strengthening Fresno's identity and sense of place. How land use underlies the experience of living, working, and visiting Fresno is also critical. Besides policy direction on urban form, this element provides a basis for land use decision-making. It establishes a land use classification system, intensity and height standards, and citywide and area-specific land use policies.

3.1 CONTEXT

Land use is one of the seven general plan topics or elements required by California’s Planning and Zoning Law. While a city is required to address the mandatory seven topics or elements, State law allows a general plan format that best fits the unique circumstances of the city. The City of Fresno has chosen to combine the required components of a land use element within the larger context of an Urban Form, Land Use, and Design Element because of the close relationship that these topics have to one another in Fresno.

In preparing this element, the City considered the impact of new growth on military readiness activities, and future development under the Plan is not anticipated to have any discernible impact on the Fresno Air National Guard military installation. Continuing enforcement of the Airport Land Use Plan for Fresno Yosemite International Airport will avoid interference with the military readiness activities at the military installation. Finally, given the absence of timber, forest land, and timber harvesting industry within the Planning Area, no land use classifications provide for timber production, nor are objectives and policies needed to address this subject. Plan Horizon and Buildout calculations are presented in the Introduction. Commonly used terms are defined in the Glossary.

RELATIONSHIP TO GENERAL PLAN GOALS

The objectives and policies of this element support the following General Plan goals:¹

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.

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2. Support a successful and competitive Downtown.

   Emphasize infill development and a revitalized central core area as the primary activity center for Fresno and the region by locating substantial growth near the Downtown core and along the corridors leading to the Downtown. Use vision-based policies in a development code specific to the Downtown, when adopted, to ensure the creation of a unique sense of place in the central core.

3. Emphasize conservation, successful adaptation to climate and changing resource conditions, and performance effectiveness in the use of energy, water, land, buildings, natural resources, and fiscal resources required for the long-term sustainability of Fresno.

4. 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.

5. Develop Complete Neighborhoods and districts with an efficient and diverse mix of residential densities, building types, and affordability which are designed to be healthy, attractive, and centered by schools, parks, and public and commercial services to provide a sense of place and that provide as many services as possible within walking distance.

   Intentionally plan for Complete Neighborhoods as an outcome, rather than collections of subdivisions which do not result in Complete Neighborhoods.

6. Promote a city of healthy communities and improve quality of life in established neighborhoods.

   Emphasize supporting established neighborhoods in Fresno with safe, well maintained, and accessible streets, public utilities, education and job training, proximity to jobs, retail services, and health care, affordable housing, youth development opportunities, open space and parks, transportation options, and opportunities for home grown businesses.

7. Emphasize increased land use intensity and mixed-use development at densities supportive of greater use of transit in Fresno.

   Greater densities can be achieved through encouragement, infrastructure, and incentives for infill and revitalization along major corridors and in Activity Centers.

12. Resolve existing public infrastructure and service deficiencies, make full use of existing infrastructure, and invest in improvements to increase competitiveness and promote economic growth.

    Emphasize the fair and necessary costs of maintaining sustainable water, sewer, streets, and other public infrastructure and service systems in rates, fees, financing, and public investments to implement the General Plan. Adequately address accumulated deferred maintenance, aging infrastructure, risks to service continuity, desired standards of service to meet quality-of-life goals, and required infrastructure to support growth, economic competitiveness and business development.

13. Emphasize the City as a role model for good growth management planning, efficient processing and permit streamlining, effective urban development policies, environmental quality, and a strong economy. Work collaboratively with other jurisdictions and institutions to further these values throughout the region.

    Positively influence the same attributes in other jurisdictions of the San Joaquin Valley—and thus the potential for regional sustainability—and improve the standing and credibility of the City to pursue appropriate State, LAFCO, and other regional policies that would curb sprawl and prevent new unincorporated community development which compete with and threaten the success of sustainable policies and development practices in Fresno.

14. Improve Fresno's visual image and enhance its form and function through urban design strategies and effective maintenance.

15. Recognize, respect, and plan for Fresno's cultural, social, and ethnic diversity, and foster an informed and engaged citizenry.

    Emphasize shared community values and genuine engagement with and across different neighborhoods, communities, institutions, businesses and sectors to solve difficult problems and achieve shared goals for the success of Fresno and all its residents.

3.2 CITYWIDE URBAN FORM

Urban form is the configuration of the combined physical components of the city; it is created by the interrelationship of those components as they form a cohesive whole. The components of urban form include: circulation (streets, sidewalks, transit, and bikeways), open space, buildings, and natural features. A healthy and vibrant Downtown as the Primary Activity Center of the City is an essential aspect of a diverse, attractive, and successful urban form for the City. How these

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components relate to one another determines the degree to which Fresno will be walkable, with inter-related uses forming Complete Neighborhoods. Many people see urban form as the ultimate determinate of “livability.”

Visualize for a moment a favorite place to vacation or take a walk. What is it about such places that draw you to them? Do you feel safe? Are there others eating, shopping, or just people watching? Is the area shaded? How wide are the sidewalks? How fast do cars move? How tall are the buildings? Is this a good place to call home, raise a family, and pursue a career?

Often it may be difficult to articulate exactly what brings a sense of attraction and satisfaction to an area. Yet no one would dispute that some cities and neighborhoods are more desirable than others. Ultimately, a number of components interconnect to make a place work well and thrive, though it is clear that significant contributions are made by physical components of a space that influence how people navigate, dwell, and work within a city. The future growth of Fresno offers the opportunity to create new neighborhoods that support a satisfying and productive lifestyle as well as to improve many established neighborhoods through careful planning.

Urban form is what organizes the city, focuses growth, creates the best possible relationships between uses, provides services and mobility, and supports a quality of life that is so important to Fresnans. The major urban form themes in this element are:

• Understanding the suburban style, auto-oriented development patterns that characterize much of Fresno today and the potential of improving that pattern in the future with walkable, pedestrian and transit-oriented development.
• Identifying areas for growth through self-supporting communities and efficient infrastructure and considering strategies for accepting future growth.
• Enhancing established neighborhoods that lack identity and an active core that supports a mix of uses and services interconnected to residences with a convenient network of pedestrian ways and bike paths.
• Supporting Downtown as the Primary Activity Center of Fresno.
• Defining parameters for growth within the City’s Sphere of Influence (SOI) that will ultimately be annexed to the City.
• Establishing policies for Urban Form to achieve General Plan goals and objectives.

Making the Most of Existing Conditions: A New Emphasis

Fresno has generally grown out over the years from its first origins, Downtown. For decades that growth has been mostly of a low density suburban style development that relies heavily on the auto as the single means of mobility. This has created a condition of sprawl, sometimes leaving neglected neighborhoods and developed land uses adjacent to a number of major streets either vacant or underutilized. This can be seen in Downtown today, as well as other areas surrounding Downtown.

A 1957 California Department of Highways plan called for construction of State Routes 99, 41, and 180 to form a freeway loop around Downtown, redirecting traffic around the City’s core rather than through it. The construction of this freeway loop system beyond State Route 99, starting in the 1980s, had a devastating impact on Downtown Fresno and its surrounding neighborhoods. Formerly unified neighborhoods were cut in two by freeways without surface crossings. Facilitated by the freeways, the City continued to stretch onto inexpensive land to the north and east, aiding the flight of people and businesses away from the center of the city. By 2009, Fresno had reached a population just under 495,000 in an area of 113 square miles.

Infill opportunities in and around the center of Fresno, particularly in underutilized areas, hold great promise for recasting Fresno as a city of vibrant and Complete Neighborhoods. This can be done by creating a land use pattern and implementing policies that envision the revitalization of established neighborhoods and development of complete communities in growth areas, connected by multi-use corridors served by Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and enhanced bus service.

Through the Urban Form, Land Use, and Design Element of the General Plan, there is opportunity to enhance existing infrastructure to support a more urban and moderately higher density model of growth in the future. This can inspire creative thinking about Fresno’s urban form by its increasingly diverse population.

Major Strategic Directions for Future Growth

This General Plan shifts emphasis from a city dominated by suburban growth to one that also shares increased urban development in the form of infill and rehabilitation, along with new Activity Centers with mixed-uses and neighborhoods in growth areas. The basis of this Plan’s concepts are formed by balancing more efficient infill, Downtown, and neighborhood revitalization;

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transit-oriented development along major streets; mixed-uses in new Activity Centers in growth areas; and the building of Complete Neighborhoods.

Major urban form components include Activity Centers with mixed-uses, intensification, and infill development. Some of these Activity Centers are generally located on land along the first phase of the BRT system. The first phase is composed of BRT corridors along Blackstone Avenue between Downtown and the major shopping centers from Herndon Avenue to Nees Avenue, and along Ventura Avenue-Kings Canyon Road from Downtown to Clovis Avenue. Concurrently there will be enhanced bus service along Shaw Avenue.

As demand necessitates, later phases of BRT may include:

• The California Avenue BRT corridor, which will connect southwest Fresno from the area located between Hughes and Marks Avenues to Downtown; and
• The Shaw Avenue corridor, which will support the opportunity for focused intensity at the West Shaw Activity Center proposed at Veterans Boulevard and Shaw Avenue west of State Route 99, extending south along Grantland Avenue to the Grantland Transit Village between Ashlan and Shields Avenues.

The Mobility and Transportation Element contains policies on developing and implementing effective, convenient, and safe public transportation and parking programs to meet the interrelated needs of Downtown and proposed BRT corridor land use development.

Employment centers in existing developed areas and in growth areas, composed of high concentrations of office, business parks and districts, and industrial clusters, are also important components of urban form. These areas have traditionally been served by freeways, freight rail, and major streets, and now will be additionally served by proposed BRT corridors with more intense land uses generating many new business and employment opportunities. New smaller scale business parks and larger scale regional business park campuses are shown on Figure LU-1: General Plan Land Use Diagram, in addition to traditional light and heavy industry locations, and will be designed to be more compatible and

appropriate to co-exist next to residential neighborhoods, retail, and mixed-use districts.

The General Plan does not expand the City’s SOI¹ beyond its extent as of December 31, 2012 for residential and commercial development.² This strategy supports the goals of this General Plan, particularly the success of Downtown, protection of agriculture, improvement of established neighborhoods, and efficient use of existing and future public infrastructure. The Land Use section addresses annexation policy.

Concepts for Focus Areas

Infill and development in growth areas will be in accord with General Plan land use designations, goals, objectives, and policies, and updated zoning and subdivision provisions. It is anticipated that policy direction for the Downtown Planning Area will be refined by community, Specific Plans, and neighborhood plans and further implemented by a Downtown Development Code after the General Plan is approved.

In growth areas and large infill areas outside of the Downtown Planning Area, subsequent Specific Plans or Concept Plans are also anticipated to refine more discreet land use and transportation design integration and intensity with necessary public facilities, maintenance, and services financing. CEQA streamlining will facilitate this refinement because the City will have a Master Environmental Impact Report (MEIR) in place that may address the major issues from these “subsequent projects” for identified growth areas and certain large infill areas. These subsequent projects are described for CEQA purposes in the MEIR. It is anticipated that these subsequent Specific Plans will include preparation of design guidelines and standards, and infrastructure financing programs.

The sheer scale of existing developed land in need of reinvestment, coupled with Fresno’s fiscal constraints, means that near-term actions need to focus on smaller geographic areas where there are opportunities to leverage public and private

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investment concurrently and build on existing assets. These areas have the best development potential and targeted investments can put in motion a positive feedback cycle, whereby a sustained level of public and private investment signals to the marketplace that something positive is happening.

Infill Incentives

This General Plan emphasizes and builds on the City’s interest in supporting infill development, which includes a number of fiscal, environmental, economic, social, transportation, and resource related benefits. Land Use policies listed here establish a more cohesive city environment with vibrant neighborhoods, BRT corridors, and Activity Centers that are implemented through increased infill development. See Figure IM-1 (Chapter 12).

Infill incentives, priority areas, and project application process streamlining are the focus of the Infill Development Act (IDA) approved by the Fresno City Council on November 1, 2012 and the Fresno General Plan Implementation and Infill Finance Task Force (Task Force) Final Report prepared by the Task Force in in late 2013. Both the IDA and the recommendations in the Task Force Final Report are discussed in the Implementation Element of this General Plan which set the framework for the implementation strategies that will facilitate increased infill development in the city of Fresno. A key recommendation from the Task Force is to prioritize and incentivize rehabilitation and new construction in the Downtown Planning Area, along BRT Corridors, and within established neighborhoods generally south of Herndon Avenue.

Complete Neighborhoods

Much of Fresno has been built as discrete residential tracts bordered by strip retail centers, many of which are not accessible from the adjacent homes due to security walls or other barriers. By contrast, the Complete Neighborhoods concept will enable Fresnans to live in communities with convenient services, employment, and recreation within walking distance.

Complete Neighborhoods are not and should not be all alike. In fact, each neighborhood should express the needs, character, and values of its residents through the specific arrangement of the many possible characteristics that make up each neighborhood. All elements of a neighborhood do not need to be of the same architectural style to create a Complete Neighborhood. While it is important to use common design components to create interest and character, individuality of the various parts of the neighborhood is more important.

The defining characteristic of a Complete Neighborhood is a neighborhood that is mostly self-sufficient, walkable, and interconnected. It provides residents with most all they need on a daily basis nearby. In other words, a Complete Neighborhood anticipates and plans in advance all amenities needed in a neighborhood to ensure quality and lasting property values before the residential units are built instead of trying to piecemeal those amenities after the fact. This convenient and healthy lifestyle is the benefit of a Complete Neighborhood. While total self-sufficiency or even completeness is unlikely to be accomplished in each neighborhood, all or most of the following characteristics can be combined to create an enhanced quality of life and retained and increased property values:

• A range of housing choices;
• Neighborhood-serving retail;
• A range of employment opportunities;
• Public services, such as health clinics;
• Entertainment and cultural assets;
• Parks and public schools within or near the neighborhood;
• Community services, such as a library, recreation center, senior center, and/or community garden;
• Public plaza/civic space; and
• Access to public transit.

This list can be combined and arranged in each specific neighborhood in such a way as to create a true sense of place and community that improves quality of life and increases property values.

Connectivity and Walkability

In Fresno, the early street grid pattern created neighborhoods with relatively small blocks, which can still be easily walked today due to their interconnected nature. However, as Fresno developed, the street and lot patterns changed, particularly after the advent of the automobile. Rather, the norm became blocks of 200 feet wide by 600 to 1300 feet in length, which are not as easily walked. The orientation of these blocks also directly impacted the number of access points to the major roadways, with the longer block lengths running parallel to major roadway frontages, thus providing less connectivity and walkability. As subdivision design introduced the cul-de-sac and further interrupted the traditional grid patterns, neighborhoods were intentionally cut off, becoming isolated and disconnected from other adjacent uses and neighborhoods.

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Wide streets and long blocks result in the need to drive for even the shortest of trips, leading to more traffic congestion and worse air quality. Smaller block sizes in a connected pattern create the opportunity to easily walk to the corner store, visit a friend, or even to work.

⬚ figure

Complete Streets can include a substantial tree canopy and landscaping to create a sense of place, provide shade, and reduce heat build-up, as shown above.

A centerpiece of the Mobility and Transportation Element is a Complete Streets system. Complete Streets are designed and operated to enable safe, attractive, and comfortable access and travel for all users such as pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and public transport users of all ages and abilities. Among their advantages, Complete Streets are intended to encourage health through walking and biking, create a sense of place, improve social interaction, and generally improve adjacent property values. Complete Streets can also incorporate landscaping and a substantial tree canopy as a feature to reduce heat build-up and create a tunnel effect, shown to slow down vehicle traffic.

OBJECTIVE

IMPLEMENTING POLICIES

UF-1-a

Diverse Neighborhoods. Support development projects that provide Fresno with a diversity of urban and suburban neighborhood opportunities.

Commentary: Future growth will occur in a range of higher, medium, and lower densities in existing and new mixed-use urban centers, compact neighborhoods, and suburban areas. This policy also envisions making use of underutilized land, reducing long-term farmland conversion, supporting transit and multiple transportation modes, mixing and balancing compatible residential and retail uses in new growth areas, and existing infill areas to produce economic opportunities, jobs, housing options, recreation, and other choices.

UF-1-b

Revitalized Downtown Planning Area. Support adoption of community plans or Specific Plans, Downtown Development Code, programs, and streamlined regulations to support a revitalized Downtown Planning Area as the Primary Activity Center for Fresno and the surrounding region.

Commentary: The General Plan anticipates the Downtown Planning Area will be further refined through specific and community plans, such as the proposed Downtown Neighborhoods Community Plan (DNCP) and the Fulton Corridor Specific Plan (FCSP), and further implemented through the adoption of a new Development Code for regulations specific to Downtown Planning Area.

UF-1-c

Identifiable City Structure. Focus integrated and ongoing planning efforts to achieve an identifiable city structure, comprised of a concentration of buildings, people, and pedestrian-oriented activity in Downtown; along a small number of transit-oriented, mixed-use corridors and strategically located Activity Centers; and in existing and new neighborhoods augmented with parks and connected by multi-purpose trails and tree lined bike lanes and streets.

UF-1-d

Range of Housing Types. Provide for diversity and variation of building types, densities, and scales of development in order to reinforce the identity of individual neighborhoods, foster a variety of market-based options for living and working to suit a

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large range of income levels, and further affordable housing opportunities throughout the city.

Commentary: The Development Code will provide guidance to promote continuity in development scale and character and transitions between densities and design typologies.

UF-1-e Unique Neighborhoods. Promote and protect unique neighborhoods and mixed use areas throughout Fresno that respect and support various ethnic, cultural and historic enclaves; provide a range of housing options, including furthering affordable housing opportunities; and convey a unique character and lifestyle attractive to Fresnans. Support unique areas through more specific planning processes that directly engage community members in creative and innovative design efforts.

UF-1-f Complete Neighborhoods, Densities, and Development Standards. Use Complete Neighborhood design concepts and development standards to achieve the development of Complete Neighborhoods and the residential density targets of the General Plan.

3.3 INFILL DEVELOPMENT

An Objective of this General Plan is to plan for infill development. The terms “infill area” and “infill development” are intended to be used interchangeably, and shall be defined as consistent with the definition of “infill area” set forth in Objective UF-12.

However, the City acknowledges that various statutes articulate alternative definitions for “infill.” To the extent that the City must comply with those alternative statutory definitions, the definitions of “infill” contained within Public Resources Code 21061.3 and CEQA Guidelines 15332 may apply.

The Downtown Planning Area and the Fulton Street Corridor

The centerpiece of Fresno is the Downtown Planning Area. The General Plan anticipates the Downtown Planning Area will be further refined through specific and community plans, such as the proposed DNCP and the FCSP, and further implemented through the adoption of a new Development Code for regulations specific to the Downtown Planning Area.

The General Plan, as well as these proposed plans, envisions a new focus on land use and design along major streets and in neighborhoods that support Downtown, with an emphasis on Fulton Street. This new focus includes proposals for increased density and vibrant mixed-use centers that will emanate from the Downtown area along the Blackstone Avenue, Ventura Avenue-Kings Canyon Road, and California Avenue transportation corridors (described below), extending the reach of and connections with Downtown in all directions.

OBJECTIVES

UF-10 Calibrate parking according to the Downtown’s parking needs and make it efficient and easy to find.

UF-11 Revitalize the Fulton Corridor consistent with the reconstruction project.

BRT Corridors & Centers

Fresno’s BRT corridors offer great opportunities for future growth over time in the form of mixed-use development on sites that are now underutilized or vacant. Vibrant Activity Centers with public spaces, medium-high and high-density residential, retail, and employment uses will be located on these major street corridors. The Activity Centers will also support surrounding neighborhoods, multi-modal transportation including the BRT system, and Downtown. BRT corridors proposed in the General Plan include the following:

Blackstone Avenue Corridor

Blackstone Avenue is currently the most prominent major street corridor connecting the Downtown area to the northern areas of Fresno, including the major commercial centers concentrated between Herndon and Nees Avenues. This major street is part of the first phase planned BRT route for transit supportive corridor related land use development and contains many “opportunity sites” that may be developed into Activity Centers in the future. Naturally, this development will occur over time as properties become available or landowners choose to re-develop. Initially, the BRT stops will occur every half-mile. Eventually, Blackstone Avenue is planned to have major BRT stations and surrounding mixed-use centers at one-mile intervals, located at the intersections of major east-west avenues such as Bullard, Shaw, Ashlan, Shields, and McKinley. Ultimately, the BRT stations will be the focus of mixed-use development that is pedestrian-oriented and closely ties the stations with the surrounding neighborhood.

Ventura Avenue - Kings Canyon Road Corridor

Ventura Avenue and Kings Canyon Road link the Downtown with the Southeast Development Area (SEDA) to the east. Much of the major street corridor is contained in the area anticipated to be encompassed by the DNCP, and the General Plan contains urban form and land use concepts and strategies from that proposed plan. Both north and south sides of this corridor are planned with existing and new residential neighborhoods. Like the Blackstone Avenue Corridor, the Ventura Avenue - Kings Canyon Road Corridor offers many opportunities for mixed-use development on both under-utilized properties and vacant land. This corridor is envisioned to be developed in the future with areas

of multi-family housing facing directly on the street and retail centers integrated with housing at the one-mile and half-mile road intersections. At certain intersections, such as the Clovis Avenue intersection, more intense sub-regional mixed-use development is planned to occur. Much of the Ventura Avenue – Kings Canyon Road west of Chestnut Avenue is expected to evolve over time as a “Main Street” environment. Main Street Commercial designation encourages a traditional “Main Street” character with active storefronts, outdoor seating, and pedestrian-oriented design. This land use and design type promotes primarily one to two story retail uses, with moderate office and minimal multi-family as supportive uses.

Clovis Avenue – State Route 180/Belmont Corridor

The Clovis Avenue – State Route 180/Belmont Corridor is essentially an extension of the Ventura Avenue - Kings Canyon Road Corridor and BRT system up Clovis Avenue to State Route 180 interchange area, including land along Belmont Avenue. The intent for this corridor is to promote mixed-use, transit-oriented development surrounding the planned Fancher Creek Town Center, which is to be located at the intersection of Clovis Avenue and Tulare Street. It is envisioned as an area of highly integrated residential uses with a variety of densities and types designed in and around a regional activity and commercial center. Development in this corridor will involve a combination of infill, revitalization, and new construction on large, by-passed parcels. Because of its proposed density, mix of uses, and connectivity, the area could also host a Park-and- Ride lot, especially near the State Route 180/Clovis Avenue interchange.

Shaw Avenue Corridor

The Shaw Avenue Corridor will be served by enhanced bus service and is envisioned as the primary transit corridor connecting Fresno and Clovis. This enhanced service in Fresno will extend along Shaw Avenue as far east as the intersection of State Route 168 and the California State University, Fresno, campus and as far west as the West Development Area located west of State Route 99. Shaw Avenue has been an important corridor in Fresno for decades, with much of the area’s retail and employment uses located there. As opportunities arise, it is envisioned that the Shaw Avenue Corridor will be developed as mixed-use infill with a variety of building types and sizes. Particular attention will be paid to urban design to make sure that the scale and form of new buildings are always coordinated with existing development. This includes improving connectivity with new development along the Shaw Avenue Corridor with the surrounding and adjoining neighborhoods.

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California Avenue and West Shaw Avenue Future Transit Corridors The West Shaw Avenue Corridor (west of State Route 99) is discussed in the “West Development Area” section below. The California Avenue Corridor is discussed in the “Southwest Development Area” section.

Non-Corridor Infill Fresno needs to promote well-designed infill and rehabilitation throughout the city, not just along the corridors. This includes single-family lots, small multi-family lots and small subdivisions. There will also be revitalization and rehabilitation over the years of small retail centers, employment centers and some multi-family properties. These infill developments and redevelopments will focus on creating Complete Neighborhoods in existing areas. Some tools that can be used to accomplish this include: connectivity, financial incentives for investing in established neighborhoods, design compatibility, providing missing uses such as recreation, enhanced landscaping and maintenance of public right-of-way areas, and providing community-based services.

OBJECTIVE

UF-12 | Locate roughly one-half of future residential development in infill areas—defined as being within the City on December 31, 2012—including the Downtown core area and surrounding neighborhoods, mixed-use centers and transit-oriented development along major BRT corridors, and other non-corridor infill areas, and vacant land.

Commentary: The Planning Director will provide an annual report describing the City’s compliance with the Plan and progress toward meeting the goals and objectives to City Council, and prepare, every five years, an updated plan for achieving this goal, with recommended appropriate policy amendments and also new implementation strategies necessary to meet this goal by 2035. The rate of progress toward meeting this goal is not expected to occur in a linear or “one-to-one” pattern. Development in infill areas versus growth areas may progress in an uneven pattern, depending upon the schedule of relevant key incentive programs (such as those related to BRT) and the impact of market forces. However, the City expects to make steady progress toward all the goals and objectives and anticipates meeting them at or near the close of General Plan Horizon in 2035. See the Implementation Element for additional implementation strategies for this objective.

IMPLEMENTING POLICIES

UF-12-a

BRT Corridors. Design land uses and integrate development site plans along BRT corridors, with transit-oriented development that supports transit ridership and convenient pedestrian access to bus stops and BRT station stops.

Commentary: Developments close to major streets encourages walking and can be connected with the adjacent neighborhoods through a network of pedestrian ways. Parking will be concealed from the street, and predominant residential uses will be considered an acceptable use in all mixed-use areas.

UF-12-b

Activity Centers. Mixed-use designated areas along BRT and/or transit corridors are appropriate for more intensive concentrations of urban uses. Typical uses could include commercial areas; employment centers; schools; compact residential development; religious institutions; parks; and other gathering points where residents may interact, work, and obtain goods and services in the same place.

Commentary: Activity Centers are typified by a full range of uses, including residential, retail, employment, education, recreation, public amenities, and/or open space features. Near the mixed-use central area of the Activity Center, there are typically higher residential densities, typically 15 to 45 dwelling units per acre, but away from the center of the Activity Center, uses become predominantly residential at lower densities.

UF-12-c

Local-Serving Neighborhood Centers. Design Neighborhood Centers for local services and amenities that build upon the character and identity of surrounding neighborhoods and communities.

UF-12-d

Appropriate Mixed-Use. Facilitate the development of vertical and horizontal mixed-uses to blend residential, commercial, and public land uses on one or adjacent sites. Ensure land use compatibility between mixed-use districts in Activity Centers and the surrounding residential neighborhoods.

Commentary: Vertical mixed-use may be achieved within the same building with multiple compatible uses in multiple stories, and horizontal mixed use may be achieved across an integrated

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development site with a mix of compatible and complementary uses housed in different buildings.

UF-12-e Access to Activity Centers. Promote adoption and implementation of standards supporting pedestrian activities and bicycle linkages from surrounding land uses and neighborhoods into Activity Centers and to transit stops. Provide for priority transit routes and facilities to serve the Activity Centers.

UF-12-f Mixed-Use in Activity Centers. Adopt a new Development Code which includes use regulations and standards to allow for mixed-uses and shared parking facilities.

UF-12-g Impacts on Surrounding Uses. Establish design standards and buffering requirements for high-intensity Activity Centers to protect surrounding residential uses from increased impacts from traffic noise and vehicle emissions, visual intrusion, interruption of view and air movement, and encroachment upon solar access.

UF-12-h Parking Standards for Shared Parking. Explore opportunities to provide shared parking within mixed-use designations to reduce the need to construct large parking lots or structures needed for peak use times only.

3.4 DEVELOPMENT AREAS¹

The pace of new development in the Development Areas needs to be balanced with the City’s goals for achieving significant reinvestment within the 2012 City Limits. Development Areas are generally depicted on Figure I-3: Residential Capacity Allocation. Figure LU-1: General Plan Land Use Diagram shows the general mix of compatible uses recommended residential designations for the Development Areas. Concept Plans will achieve the optimum benefits of designing new neighborhoods as Complete Neighborhoods.

As discussed earlier, Complete Neighborhoods are a key planning concept for development of new residential areas in designated Development Areas.

Complete Neighborhoods are neighborhoods connected with a range of housing types; employment, supporting retail and service uses; parks and open space; and public/civic uses.

Concept Planning

The General Plan aims to achieve efficient, attractive, and resilient development in the Development Areas through the implementation of Complete Neighborhoods. Some key attributes of Concept Plans are described below.

• Much of the implementation will involve coordinating a harmonious integration of new growth areas and existing development.
• Subdivision and proposed commercial developments should depict how the project may impact surrounding properties, including how street connectivity will be achieved within the Concept Plan area.
• Concept Plans should envision parks, and in some cases a school, with higher densities located around the park and school, and predominantly residential development with a mix of housing types beyond the core.
• Concept Plans should capture the Complete Neighborhood potential of the area.
• Retail and employment centers should be allowed to serve the neighborhood.

West Development Area

The West Development Area (see Figure UF-1: West Development Area Land Use Diagram below) provides many opportunities for the development of Complete Neighborhoods. New neighborhoods will be integrated with the urbanized areas of Fresno to the east through the connections afforded by roadways and future BRT corridors. As each neighborhood evolves, existing subdivisions will become an integrated part of the overall plan.

West Shaw Avenue Corridor & Transit Village

The Shaw Avenue Corridor from State Route 99 to the Grantland Avenue intersection is envisioned to be developed as a mixed-use corridor supported by enhanced transit service, which includes high density and urban neighborhood residential components, along with retail, employment and civic uses. There is a proposal for a Community Park, up to 40 acres in size, along the east side of Veterans Boulevard between Shaw Avenue and Barstow Avenue, which will anchor the West Shaw Transit Village. The park is bisected by a Class 1 bike trail along the Herndon Canal. A regional mixed-use center is designated between Veterans Boulevard and Grantland Avenue. These land uses will be mixed both

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vertically and horizontally, and represent the transit-oriented cores of Complete Neighborhoods connected with surrounding residential areas.

Grantland Avenue Transit Village

A mixed-use transit-oriented center is contemplated along the east side of Grantland Avenue between Ashlan and Shields Avenues, as part of the proposed Grantland-East Communities. Initial development is contemplated in the area bounded by Ashlan, Bryan, Shields, and Grantland Avenues, with multi-family, retail, park, and school uses along the east side of Grantland Avenue. The Grantland Avenue Transit Village will be an area of focus for a Complete Neighborhood, as a high density and urban neighborhood with residential development around a 15-acre Community Park and 15-acre mixed-use neighborhood shopping center, complementing a Central Unified School site on the west side of Grantland Avenue.

Grantland-East Communities

The Grantland-East Communities, generally bounded by Ashlan, Polk, Clinton, and Grantland Avenues, will be coordinated with the Grantland Avenue Transit Village developments, and support their land uses and plan configurations. Of the 12 quarter sections (160 acres per section, generally formed by the half-grid of major streets) within the Grantland-East Communities boundary, the nine sections south of Ashlan Avenue will develop via Concept Plans. This design creates access to over 600 acres of useable, but currently inaccessible land, within these quarter sections, ringed by rural residential lots. The City will work closely with property owners and developers to develop Concept Plans that capture the Complete Neighborhood potential of these areas. The concept envisions parks, and in some cases a school, located at the center, with medium-high and urban residential density multiple-family and townhome development clustered around the park and school, and predominantly medium-density residential development with a mix of housing types beyond the core.

Figure UF-1: West Development Area Land Use Diagram

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Southwest Development Area

The Southwest Development Area (see Figure UF-2: Southwest Development Area Land Use Diagram) contains a significant amount of the vacant residentially designated land within the City’s SOI, but the area has not yet exhibited much market demand to develop typical suburban neighborhoods with desired commercial and retail services. The area is generally characterized by a patchwork of un-coordinated existing subdivisions, industry, and farmland. However, the General Plan envisions great opportunities in southwest Fresno that can be created by focusing on the development of Complete Neighborhoods: eventually providing a BRT corridor along California Avenue, creating a Transit Village between Hughes and Marks Avenues, and building a regional shopping center and community park with surrounding neighborhood development

Chapter 3: Urban Form, Land Use, and Design

between Church and Jensen Avenues along Martin Luther King Boulevard (MLK) west of the Rutherford B. Gaston Middle School.

California Avenue is a primary corridor connecting the Southwest Development Area to Downtown, the Blackstone Avenue Corridor north, and the Ventura Avenue-Kings Canyon Road Corridor east to SEDA. Over time, this corridor will contain substantial new development, infill and redevelopment providing market feasible opportunities for mixed-use development that furthers the goals of the General Plan. California Avenue will have a Complete Street system and transit network to connect southwest Fresno to other metro area communities.

The Veteran’s Community Activity Center will be centered by a community park next to the Veteran’s Home Complex located on the southeast corner of Marks and California Avenues. This area is envisioned for high density and urban neighborhood residential density around the core with Complete Neighborhoods to the north, south, and east. The Veteran’s Community Activity Center will anchor the western terminus of the California Avenue Transportation Corridor system, supplying a unique and desirable destination and urban living environment in southwest Fresno.

Southwest Neighborhoods

In addition to the California Avenue Corridor and Veteran’s Community Activity Center, one other focus area is the Southwest Neighborhoods, which is generally bounded by Church, Marks, North, and Elm Avenues. New medium and medium low density neighborhoods adjoining existing residential areas are designed with local streets, centered by parks, multi-family, townhomes, and in some cases, schools to form a network of Complete Neighborhoods, as is proposed in other Development Areas. Neighborhood shopping centers are located to serve these new clusters of neighborhoods.

Martin Luther King Boulevard (MLK) Activity Center

A regional shopping center on the northwest corner of Jensen Avenue and MLK Boulevard is proposed to be integrated with a higher density neighborhood district between Church and Jensen Avenues along MLK, centered by a community park across from the new Fresno Unified School District Rutherford B. Gaston Middle School complex. This regional retail use will serve the Southwest Development Area, established neighborhoods in southwest Fresno, proximate residential areas in southeast Fresno, and rural areas to the south and west of Fresno. The MLK Village is on the southern edge of the Downtown Planning Area and will also serve residents in that area.

Figure UF-2: Southwest Development Area Land Use Diagram

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Southeast Development Area (SEDA)

The original Southeast Growth Area Specific Plan (see Figure UF-3: Southeast Development Area Land Use Diagram), or SEGA, contains approximately 9,000 acres and was formally designated as a Growth Area in the 2025 Fresno General Plan. While originally called SEGA, this area is now referred to as the Southeast Development Area (SEDA).

SEGA was approved in 2006 by the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) for incorporation into the City with a number of provisions that included preparation of a Specific Plan and associated environmental assessment documents before any annexations of land to the City could be approved. The City started the process of preparing a Specific Plan for SEGA, but due to delays, the planning for SEGA was rolled into the City-wide General Plan Update, as the supporting environmental analysis required by CEQA was not completed, nor the

Chapter 3: Urban Form, Land Use, and Design

draft Specific Plan approved by the City. The planning concepts for SEGA have been used to guide the planning for the SEDA.

Planning concepts for SEGA included design and development concepts for street, block, and lot patterns; bike and pedestrian access and circulation; open spaces; mixed-use centers; neighborhoods; building orientations; energy and water saving approaches; employment areas; subdivisions; site planning; and more. These items are illustrative of configuration types suitable for the Southeast Development Area to the extent they are not inconsistent with this General Plan.

Planning now for ultimate urban land uses, circulation, intensities, and urban design for SEDA is imperative for preserving land and protecting the surrounding agriculture and rural areas. Absent new technology, treated water sources, additional recharge or offsets, or significant reduction in consumption achieved through conservation or other methods, metropolitan surface water treatment and wastewater infrastructure systems are also needed to support Fresno, Clovis, and eventual SEDA development. This Development Area also has the unique feature of an eastern border designated as a permanent buffer, which is designed to separate and preserve long-term agriculture to the east and outside SOI boundary from urban uses further to the west inside the SOI boundary.

In SEGA, each subarea was proposed to be developed with a master plan, and potentially, property owner agreements to achieve the scale and intensity required to support independent district type financing structures for necessary public infrastructure, and ongoing maintenance and public service costs. General Plan Development Areas generally follow SEGA subarea descriptions. These areas will require additional planning, such as a Specific Plan and/or concept planning in conformance with the City-County MOU for development of this area.

North SEDA (North of McKinley Avenue)

The North SEDA subarea is planned with two community centers that are surrounded by Residential-Urban Neighborhood and Residential-Medium Density land uses. A K-12 educational complex planned by Clovis Unified School District is anticipated to be located adjacent to the community center at Clinton and Highland Avenues. It is anticipated that there will also be two neighborhood centers located amidst the residential areas that are designated Public Facilities – Neighborhood Center.

Central SEDA (between McKinley & Jensen Avenues)

Central SEDA is bounded by McKinley, Highland, Jensen and Temperance Avenues. This subarea would be characterized by a regional center designated as Regional Mixed Use, three community centers designated as Corridor/Center Mixed Use, and fourteen neighborhood centers designated as Public Facilities – Neighborhood Center. It is anticipated that the regional center also will contain three employment centers. It would be desirable to integrate the regional center and community centers with mixed residential, while locating the neighborhood centers in either neighborhood residential or existing rural residential areas designated as low density residential.

Peach – Jensen Avenues Neighborhood

The Peach-Jensen Avenues Neighborhood subarea, generally bounded by Peach, Jensen, Minnewawa, and North Avenues, is deemed appropriate for long-term residential uses. It represents an additional growth subarea opportunity in southeast Fresno for development of Complete Neighborhoods. It is just outside the SEDA boundary to the west and complements SEDA development planned around the regional education and vocational training complex proposed by the State Center Community College District (SCCCD) at Clovis and North Avenues. It is anticipated that this new neighborhood will adjoin and support a proposed Activity Center with a future community college at Clovis Avenue to the east and a business park and light industrial employment center to the west. Primarily a residential area, the area would be served with local streets, park and recreational trails, and multi-family townhomes, and it will be filled-out by medium density residential to conform with adjacent centers.

South SEDA (South of Jensen Avenue)

South SEDA is generally bounded by Temperance Avenue to North Avenue, North Avenue to Minnewawa Avenue, Minnewawa to Jensen Avenue, and Jensen back to Temperance Avenue. This subarea is also planned with two community centers and four neighborhood centers, with surrounding mixed residential and neighborhood residential beyond the centers. This area is also intended to feature a major education and vocational training complex proposed by the SCCCD and significant land designated for employment in regional business parks with light industry and a range of businesses and enterprises. Land use in South SEDA is proposed with Complete Neighborhoods anchored by mixed-use centers to be integrated and compatible with these larger institutional and employment users.

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Figure UF-3: Southeast Development Area Land Use Diagram

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OBJECTIVE

UF-13 Locate roughly one-half of future residential development in the Growth Areas—defined as unincorporated land as of December 31, 2012 SOI—which are to be developed with Complete Neighborhoods that include housing, services, and recreation; mixed-use centers; or along future BRT corridors.

Commentary: The Planning Director will provide an annual report describing the City’s compliance with the Plan and progress toward meeting the goals and objectives to City Council and every five years prepare an updated plan for achieving this goal, with recommended appropriate policy amendments and also new implementation strategies necessary

to meet this goal by 2035. The rate of progress toward meeting this goal is not expected to occur in a linear or “one-to-one” pattern. Development in infill areas versus growth areas may progress in an uneven pattern, depending upon the schedule of relevant key incentive programs (such as those related to BRT) and the impact of market forces. However, the City expects to make steady progress toward all the goals and objectives and anticipates meeting them at or near the close of General Plan Horizon in 2035. See the Implementation Element for additional implementation strategies for this objective.

IMPLEMENTING POLICIES

UF-13-a | Future Planning to Require Design Principles. Require future planning, such as Specific Plans, neighborhood plans or Concept Plans, for Development Areas and BRT Corridors designated by the General Plan to include urban design principles and standards consistent with the Urban Form, Land Use, and Design Element.

Commentary: The General Plan requirements and regulations will be further defined through Specific Plans, neighborhood plans and Concept Plans to coordinate more discreet land use and transportation design integration and intensity with necessary public facilities, maintenance, and services financing for Development Areas following General Plan adoption and the subsequent adoption of a new Development Code.

OBJECTIVE

UF-14 | Create an urban form that facilitates multi-modal connectivity.

Commentary. Multi-modal connectivity creates the opportunity for people to travel through a variety of modes of transportation, including biking, walking, driving, and using public transit.

IMPLEMENTING POLICIES

UF-14-a | Design Guidelines for Walkability. Develop and use design guidelines and standards for a walkable and pedestrian-scaled environment with a network of streets and connections for pedestrians and bicyclists, as well as transit and autos.

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Commentary. These guidelines will highlight how to achieve these design ideas and avoid barriers to access, such as:

• Walls and fences that separate related uses or isolate neighborhoods;
• Over reliance on cul-de-sacs and dead end streets that cut off access within neighborhoods;
• Disconnected bike and pedestrian paths;
• Wide streets that lack pedestrian support, such as sidewalks, median strips, and a landscaped strip that separates pedestrians from the street;
• Street front parking lots that separate pedestrian from commercial operations;
• Retail centers that are exclusively auto-oriented;
• Transit stops that are not easily accessible from an individual’s starting point and destination; and
• Long blocks that discourage walking.

UF-14-b Local Street Connectivity. Design local roadways to connect throughout neighborhoods and large private developments with adjacent major roadways and pathways of existing adjacent development. Create access for pedestrians and bicycles where a local street must dead end or be designed as a cul-de-sac to adjoining uses that provide services, shopping, and connecting pathways for access to the greater community area.

UF-14-c Block Length. Create development standards that provide desired and maximum block lengths in residential, retail, and mixed-use districts in order to enhance walkability.

Commentary: When preparing such standards the City should assess the desirability of varying maximum block length requirements between single family residential, multi-family residential, mixed use, and commercial districts.

3.5 LAND USE

The following sections provide the General Plan’s required land use information with use classifications, maximum densities and intensities on Figure LU-1: Fresno General Plan Land Use Diagram.

The City has reviewed those areas covered by the General Plan that are subject to flooding identified by flood plain mapping prepared by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which can be found at Figure NS-7: Floodplains. The City will annually review those areas covered by the Plan as set out in the Implementation Element.

Land Use Diagram

The Land Use Diagram is the City’s master designation of land uses for Fresno including the City’s SOI. The Land Use Diagram includes the Downtown Planning Area, shown in an inset, and its designations are anticipated to be further refined and implemented through specific and community plans, such as the proposed FCSP and the DNCP. Land use designations for the Downtown Planning Area are generalized to facilitate implementation by providing some flexibility for the detailed plans.

Dual Designations

All new parks, open space, and public facilities (such as school sites) carry dual land use designations, so that if that facility is not needed, private and public development consistent with zoning and development standards may be approved. These dual land use designations are shown in Figure LU-2: Dual Designation.

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City of Fresno General Plan Land Use and Circulation Map Development and Resource Management Planning Division

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CIRCULATION LEGEND --- Freeway --- Super Arterial --- Scenic Drive --- Expressway --- Arterial --- Collector --- Scenic Expressway --- Scenic Arterial --- Scenic Collector

BOUNDARIES [ ] Fresno Planning Area Boundary [ ] Fresno Sphere of Influence [//] Southeast Development Area (SEDA)

This map is believed to be an accurate representation of the City of Fresno GIS data. However, we make no warranties either expressed or implied for the correctness of this data.

*Dual land use designations for public facilities and open space are shown in Figure LU-2: Dual Designation Diagram.

Figure LU-1: Fresno General Plan Land Use Diagram

RESIDENTIAL [ ] Low Density (1-3.5 D.U./acre) [ ] Medium Low Density (3.5-6 D.U./acre) [ ] Medium Density (5.0-12 D.U./acre) [ ] Medium High Density (12-16 D.U./acre) [ ] Urban Neighborhood (16-30 D.U./acre) [ ] High Density (30-45 D.U./acre)

COMMERCIAL [ ] Main Street [ ] Community [ ] Recreation [ ] General [ ] Highway & Auto [ ] Regional

EMPLOYMENT [ ] Office [ ] Business Park [ ] Regional Business Park [ ] Light Industrial [ ] Heavy Industrial

MIXED USE [ ] Neighborhood Mixed Use [ ] Corridor/Center Mixed Use [ ] Regional Mixed Use

DOWNTOWN [ ] Downtown Core [ ] Downtown General [ ] Downtown Neighborhood

OPEN SPACE [ ] Clear Zone [ ] Commercial-Recreational [ ] Community Park [ ] Flood Control Project [ ] Golf Course [ ] Lake, Pond [ ] Multi-Use [ ] Neighborhood Park [ ] Outdoor Environmental Education Area [ ] Open Space [ ] Park [ ] Ponding Basin [ ] Ponding Basin (Park use) [ ] Regional Park

PUBLIC FACILITIES [ ] Public/Quasi-public Facility [ ] Special School [ ] Elementary School [ ] Elementary & Middle School [ ] Elementary, Middle & High School [ ] Middle School [ ] High School [ ] College [ ] School with Park [ ] Airport [ ] Cemetery [ ] Church [ ] Community Activity Center [ ] Convalescent Hospital [ ] Fairgrounds [ ] Fire Station [ ] Government Offices [ ] Hospital [ ] Medical Center [ ] Neighborhood Center [ ] PG & E Substation [ ] Police Dressing Station [ ] Water Recharge Basin [ ] Waste Water Treatment Facility

BUFFER [ ] Buffer

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Figure LU-2: Dual Designation Diagram

Residential [ ] Low Desnisty (1-3.5 D. U./Acre) [ ] Medium Low Desnisty (3.5-6 D. U./Acre) [ ] Medium Desnisty (5-12 D. U./Acre) [ ] Medium High Desnisty (12-16 D. U./Acre) [ ] Urban Neighborhood (16-30 D. U./Acre) [ ] High Density (30-45 D. U./Acre) Commercial [ ] Community [ ] Main Street [ ] General Employment [ ] Office [ ] Business Park [ ] Regional Business Park [ ] Light Industrial [ ] Heavy Industrial Mixed Use [ ] Corridor/Center Mixed Use [ ] Regional Mixed Use [ ] Neighborhood Mixed Use

Boundaries [ ] Southeast Development Growth Area (SEDA) [ ] Fresno Planning Area Boundary [ ] City Limit [ ] Sphere of Influence

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Note: All planned land uses for future parks, open space, ponding basins, schools (e.g. special, elementary, middle, high, and colleges) and schools with parks carry dual planned land use designations so that if facility is not needed private and public development consistent with zoning and development standards may be approved. This map shows the additional land use designations.

Date: 4/7/2017 MA

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Chapter 3: Urban Form, Land Use, and Design

Density and Intensity

The General Plan calculates density on net acreage, defined as the land area of a lot remaining after dedication of all areas for major streets, schools, regional trails, certified wetlands or floodplains, and land underneath electric transmission lines. For residential uses, the density and intensity standards are expressed as the number of housing units per net acre. For non-residential uses, a measure known as Floor Area Ratio (FAR) is specified. FAR is defined as the permitted ratio of gross floor area to site area. It is a measure of building bulk that controls both visual prominence and traffic generation, as shown in the diagram below.

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.5 1.0 1.5

The citywide density and intensity standards, established in Table 3-1, are intended to establish minimum and maximum densities per net acre allowed in each General Plan land use category, exclusive of the Downtown Planning Area. Minimum and maximum densities, intensities, and required land use mixes will be more precisely defined within the Development Code for purposes of determining the consistency of a proposed zone district and a property development entitlement with an applicable land use designation.

Minimum lot/parcel sizes (and corresponding lot frontage minimums and other lot design requirements) will be defined in the Development Code for each zone district. The Development Code will also provide procedures and criteria for preparing and implementing “planned development” for a given area to allow for limited reconfiguration of the planned land uses for that area and variations from base zoning district development standard, while maintaining the equivalent densities, intensities and mix of uses. Finally, the General Plan land use designation may provide overlap in the defined densities, intensities and land uses described for various land uses.

TABLE 3-1: CITYWIDE STANDARDS FOR DENSITY AND DEVELOPMENT INTENSITY

1. Based on Net Acreage.
2. Residential density refers to the ratio of residential dwelling units per acre (43,560 square feet) of land which is calculated by dividing the number of existing or proposed residential dwelling units by the land area of the property designated for, or proposed for development with, a residential use. The residential land area includes property upon which the residential and ancillary structures are located, together with yards and other private or common open spaces, and includes vehicle access drives and parking areas together with public and private roadways. The residential land area does not include major streets or State Routes designated by Figure MT-1: General Plan Circulation Diagram, and does not include schools or regional trails.
3. Additional density may be allowed for affordable housing or provision of community benefits (pursuant to California Government Code Sections 65915 – 65918, as may be amended).

Chapter 3: Urban Form, Land Use, and Design

Land Use Classifications

These land use classifications cover the entire Planning Area, with the exception of the Downtown Planning Area. The land use classifications for the Downtown Planning Area are described later in this element.

Residential

Residential land uses provide for a wide range of neighborhoods and housing types.

LOW DENSITY This designation is intended to provide for large lot residential development. Low Density residential allows one to 3.5 housing units per acre. The resulting land use pattern is large lot residential in nature, such as rural residential, ranchettes, or estate homes.

MEDIUM LOW DENSITY The Medium Low Density designation is intended to provide for single family detached housing with densities of 3.5 to 6 units per acre.

MEDIUM DENSITY Medium Density residential covers developments of 5 to 12 units per acre and is intended for areas with predominantly single-family residential development, but can also accommodate a mix of housing types, including small-lot starter homes, zero-lot-line developments, duplexes, and townhouses. Much of the City’s established neighborhoods fall within this designation.

MEDIUM HIGH Medium High Density residential is intended for neighborhoods with a mix of single-family residences, townhomes, garden apartments, and multi-family units intended to support a fine-grain, pedestrian scale. This land use accommodates densities from 12 to 16 units per acre overall.

URBAN NEIGHBORHOOD Urban Neighborhood residential covers densities from 16 to 30 units per acre, which will require multi-family dwellings but still allows for a mix of housing types including single-family houses. This land use is intended to provide for a compact community that includes community facilities and walkable access to parkland and commercial services; it also supports efficient, frequent transit

service. Urban Neighborhood is designated for targeted areas with complementary land uses adjacently located.

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An example of Fresno’s established residential neighborhoods, with wide streets, sidewalks, and large trees.

HIGH DENSITY

High Density residential is intended to accommodate attached homes, two- to four-plexes, and apartment buildings, and it will be supported by walkable access to frequent transit, retail and services, and community facilities such as parks and schools. High Density allows for 30 to 45 units per acre.

Commercial

Commercial land use designations allow a wide range of retail and service establishments intended to serve local and regional needs.

MAIN STREET

Main Street Commercial encourages a traditional Main Street character with active storefronts, outdoor seating and pedestrian-oriented design. This designation promotes primarily one to two story retail uses. It also preserves small-scale, fine-grain character in neighborhoods where single-family residential and townhomes are predominant. The maximum FAR is 1.0.

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COMMUNITY Community Commercial is intended for commercial development that primarily serves local needs such as convenience shopping and small offices. Many of the city’s current commercial districts fall into this designation. Specific uses allowed include medium-scale retail, office, civic and entertainment uses, supermarkets, drug stores and supporting uses. The maximum FAR is 1.0.

RECREATION The Recreation designation is intended for areas of private commercial recreation uses, such as bowling alleys and golf driving ranges. The maximum FAR is 0.5.

GENERAL The General Commercial designation is intended for a range of retail and service uses that are not appropriate in other areas because of higher volumes of vehicle traffic and potential adverse impacts on other uses. Development such as strip malls fall into this designation. Examples of allowable uses include: building materials, storage facilities with active storefronts, equipment rental, wholesale businesses, and specialized retail not normally found in shopping centers. The maximum FAR is 2.0.

HIGHWAY & AUTO The Highway & Auto designation is intended for limited areas near State Route 99 to accommodate uses that depend on or are supported by freeway access but do not generate a large volume of traffic. Hotels, restaurants, and auto malls are typical land uses. The maximum FAR is 0.75.

REGIONAL The Regional Commercial designation is intended to meet local and regional retail demand, such as large-scale retail, office, civic and entertainment uses; shopping malls, with large format or “big-box” retail allowed; and supporting uses such as gas stations, and hotels. Buildings typically have relatively large footprints. Development and design standards will create a pedestrian orientation within centers and along major corridors. The maximum FAR is 1.0.

Employment

OFFICE The Office designation is intended for administrative, financial, business, professional, medical, and public offices. This designation is mainly intended to apply to existing office uses on smaller lots, generally located on arterial

roadways. This designation is also considered compatible with existing residential neighborhoods given the smaller level of noise and traffic generated compared to commercial uses. Retail uses would be limited to business services, food services, and convenience goods for those who work in the area. The maximum FAR is 2.0.

BUSINESS PARK

The Business Park designation provides for office/business parks in campus-like settings that are well suited for large offices or multi-tenant buildings. This designation is intended to accommodate and allow for the expansion of small businesses. Given its proximity to residential uses, only limited outdoor storage will be permitted, while adequate landscaping is imperative to minimize the visual impacts. Typical land uses include research and development, laboratories, administrative and general offices, medical offices and clinics, professional offices, prototype manufacturing, testing, repairing, packaging, and printing. No free-standing retail is permitted, except for small uses serving businesses and employees. The maximum FAR is 1.0.

REGIONAL BUSINESS PARK

The Regional Business Park designation is intended for large or campus-like office and technology development that includes office, research and development, manufacturing, and other large-scale, professional uses, with limited and properly screened outdoor storage. Permitted uses include incubator-research facilities, prototype manufacturing, testing, repairing, packaging, and printing, as well as offices and research facilities. Small-scale retail and service uses serving local employees and visitors are permitted as secondary uses. The maximum FAR is 1.0.

LIGHT INDUSTRIAL

The Light Industrial designation accommodates a diverse range of light industrial uses, including limited manufacturing and processing, research and development, fabrication, utility equipment and service yards, wholesaling, warehousing, and distribution activities. Small-scale retail and ancillary office uses are also permitted. Light Industrial areas may serve as buffers between Heavy Industrial and other land uses and otherwise are generally located in areas with good transportation access, such as along railroads and State Routes. The maximum FAR is 1.5.

Chapter 3: Urban Form, Land Use, and Design

HEAVY INDUSTRIAL The Heavy Industrial designation accommodates the broadest range of industrial uses including manufacturing, assembly, wholesaling, distribution, and storage activities that are essential to the development of a balanced economic base. Small-scale commercial services and ancillary office uses are also permitted. The maximum FAR is 1.5.

Mixed-Use¹ Mixed-use designations are based on commercial uses and also require a residential or upper-floor office component.

NEIGHBORHOOD MIXED-USE This designation allows a minimum of 50 percent residential uses and provides for mixed-use districts of local-serving, pedestrian-oriented commercial development, such as convenience shopping and professional offices in two- to three-story buildings. Development is expected to include ground-floor neighborhood retails uses and upper-level housing or offices, with a mix of small lot single family houses, townhomes, and multi-family dwelling units on side streets, in a horizontal or vertical mixed-use orientation. The built form will have a scale and character that is consistent with pedestrian-orientation, to attract and promote a walk-in clientele, with small lots and frequent roadway and pedestrian connections permitting convenient access from residences to commercial space. Automobile-oriented uses are not permitted.

CORRIDOR/CENTER MIXED-USE The Corridor/Center Mixed-Use designation is higher intensity than Neighborhood Mixed-Use, and is intended to allow for horizontal and vertical mixed-use development in multiple story buildings along key circulation corridors where height and density can be easily accommodated. Ground-floor retail and upper-floor residential or offices are the primary uses, with personal and business services and public and institutional space as supportive uses. Development will facilitate the transformation of existing transportation corridors into vibrant, highly walkable areas with broad, pedestrian-friendly sidewalks,

trees, landscaping, and local-serving uses with new buildings that step down in relationship to the scale and character of adjacent neighborhoods. This designation will largely apply along major roadways, at targeted locations between regional Activity Centers. A minimum of 40 percent residential uses is required, and the maximum FAR is 1.5.

REGIONAL MIXED-USE

The Regional Mixed-Use land use designation is intended to accommodate mixed-use development in urban-scale buildings and retail establishments that serve residents and businesses of the region at large. Medium-scale retail, residential, office, civic and entertainment uses, and shopping malls (with large format or “big-box” retail) are allowed, as are supporting uses such as gas stations and hotels in mixed-use or single use buildings. Design standards will support a pedestrian orientation within centers and along major corridors, with parking on the side or rear in general, but automobile-oriented uses also will be accommodated on identified streets and frontages. A minimum of 30 percent residential uses is required, and the maximum FAR is 2.0.

Open Space

The Open Space designations (Parks and Recreational Facilities; Other Public Open Space) apply to open space areas that are not parks or trails, such as riparian corridors, the clear zone around Fresno-Yosemite International Airport, and the San Joaquin River bottom, which is primarily designated as open space even though it includes a limited number of existing homes.

Public Facilities

This designation applies to public facilities, such as City Hall, county buildings, schools, colleges, the municipal airports, and hospitals. It also includes public facilities, such as fire and police stations, City-operated recycling centers, sewage treatment plants, neighborhood, community and regional parks, recreational centers, and golf courses. Finally, it applies to multi-purpose trails that serve both regional and neighborhood needs.

Buffer

This designation is intended to separate urban uses from long-term agricultural uses in order to preserve long-term viable agricultural areas and intensive farming operations adjoining but outside the Planning Area. The Buffer designation will serve to prevent urban residential and related uses from developing near agricultural operations and infringing on full operation of important farmland. A variety of uses are compatible with the purpose of the Buffer, which will be defined in detail in the Development Code. General

Chapter 3: Urban Form, Land Use, and Design

categories include environmental habitats; water conveyance, retention and recharge; preservation and preparation of gravel resources for beneficial uses related to permanent water resource facilities; limited agriculture and necessary supportive uses, such as agricultural processing, excluding animal processing or uses that have the potential to create nuisances; and residential uses with 20 acres of land required per residence.

Downtown

Downtown designations allow a wide range of uses and the most intense development patterns in the region while creating pedestrian-oriented urban environments.

Downtown Core

The Downtown Core (DTC) is the cultural, civic, shopping, and transit center of Fresno and the region. This designation is applied to the traditional central business district of the city near the proposed High Speed Rail station and oriented around the restored section of Fulton Street. New buildings will be up to 15 stories in height and will be located at or near the sidewalk. Ground floor spaces will have active frontages with commercial, retail, multi-family housing, and office activity to support active streetscapes and walking. Upper floors and the floor area behind storefronts will accommodate a wide variety of office, civic, lodgings, housing, or additional commercial uses.

Downtown General

The Downtown General (DTG) designation will support a high concentration of regional activity generators such as governmental buildings and convention centers within a pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use urban setting. New buildings will be up to 10 stories in height and will be located at or near the sidewalk. Ground floor spaces will have active frontages with commercial, retail, multi-family housing, and office activity to support active streetscapes and walking. Upper floors and the floor area behind storefronts will accommodate a wide variety of office, civic, lodging, housing, or additional commercial uses.

Downtown Neighborhood

The Downtown Neighborhood (DTN) designation will create lively, walkable, mixed-use urban neighborhoods surrounding the Downtown Core and Downtown General areas. New buildings will be up to 6 stories in height and will be located at or near the sidewalk. Ground floor spaces will have active frontages with commercial, retail, multi-family housing, and office activity to support active streetscapes and walking. Upper floors and the floor area behind storefronts will

accommodate a wide variety of office, civic, lodging, housing, or additional commercial uses.

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Downtown Neighborhood areas feature a mix of uses, including retail, office, civic, housing, and entertainment.

General Plan and Zoning Consistency

Table 3-2 summarizes the proposed zoning districts that will contain detailed development guidelines and regulations for the land uses in the General Plan.

Chapter 3: Urban Form, Land Use, and Design

Local Plans

The City has adopted a number of plans that apply to defined areas throughout Fresno. Under the City's Local Planning and Procedures Ordinance (LPPO), Specific and Community Plans prevail when inconsistent with the General Plan. As a practical matter, this means full implementation of the General Plan may require certain Specific or Community plans to be either repealed or amended to allow consistency. As part of this process, policies and portions from certain plans have been considered in developing the General Plan, essentially resulting in a consolidation and update of planning documents through this repeal and amendment of plans. See Implementing Policy D-7-a for the list of plans being amended or repealed.

Annexation

As specified by Policy LU-1-g, this General Plan promotes the principle that the SOI not be expanded. The one exception to SOI expansion is to allow for the siting of a maintenance yard proximate to and south of the SOI boundary associated with the California High Speed Train project.

Regional Cooperation

Fresno is part of an eight-county region, each with its own Metropolitan Planning Organization. Collectively, they have approved the San Joaquin Valley Blueprint along with the Smart Growth principles listed below, which have been integrated into the General Plan. The adopted San Joaquin Valley Blueprint 12 Smart Growth principles:

1. Create a range of housing opportunities and choices;

2. Create walkable neighborhoods;

3. Encourage community and stakeholder collaboration;

4. Foster distinctive, attractive communities with a strong sense of place;

5. Make development decisions predictable, fair, and cost-effective;

6. Mix land uses;

7. Preserve open space, farmland, natural beauty, and critical environmental areas;

8. Provide a variety of transportation choices;

9. Strengthen and direct development towards existing communities;

10. Take advantage of compact building design;

11. Enhance the economic vitality of the region; and

12. Support actions that encourage environmental resource management.

The City of Fresno is also partnering with 13 of the other 15 federally defined Urbanized Areas in the San Joaquin Valley as part of the Smart Valley Places network, to plan and implement smart growth, livability, and sustainability through revised land use and transportation systems in the respective cities within all the Urbanized Areas in the eight-county Valley region. The City of Fresno also seeks to develop a regional cooperative planning and development strategy with all the city, county, and special district jurisdictions in Fresno, Madera, Tulare, and Kings counties in order to better achieve increased air quality, lower greenhouse gas emissions, farmland preservation, water and energy conservation, increased regional transportation infrastructure and economic development, and sustainable fiscal resource and mutual quality-of-life goals in the region.

OBJECTIVE

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.

IMPLEMENTING POLICIES

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.

LU-1-b Land Use Definition and Compatibility. Include zoning districts and standards in the Development Code that provide for the General Plan land use designations and create appropriate transitions or buffers between new development with existing uses, taking into consideration the health and safety of the community.

LU-1-c Provision of Public Facilities and Services. Promote orderly land use development in pace with public facilities and services needed to serve development.

Commentary: Proposed school sites, parks, and storm water retention basin sites are shown in their most probable location, but the General Plan Land Use Diagram only represents probable placement for many of these prospective future public uses, and these various future public facility sites may be relocated or purchased in alternate locations.

LU-1-d

Orderly Transition of Existing Uses. Implement updates to the Fresno Municipal Code to provide for the orderly transition of existing, legal non-conforming uses on the BRT Corridors.

Commentary: The goals, objectives and policies of this General Plan are long-term in nature. The General Plan recognizes the importance of providing for an orderly evolution of existing, legal non-conforming uses in a manner that acknowledges their current economic contributions while providing for a full transition into conforming uses consistent with applicable land use designations.

LU-1-e

Annexation Requirements. Adopt implementing policies and requirements that achieve annexations to the City that conform to the General Plan Land Use Designations and open space and park system, and are revenue neutral and cover all costs for public infrastructure, public facilities, and public services on an ongoing basis consistent with the requirements of ED-5-b.

Commentary: If initiated directly with LAFCO without application by the City, the City is likely to oppose the proposed annexation unless it is consistent with the General Plan and the sequence of development discussed in the Implementation Element.

Regarding Disadvantaged Unincorporated Communities, the City will partner with the community, if there is wide support for annexation, to coordinate terms to initiate and support the annexation process.

LU-1-f

Coordination with Fresno County Land Use Planning. Seek a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the County of Fresno to prohibit development inconsistent with this General Plan on unincorporated land within the City’s SOI.

Chapter 3: Urban Form, Land Use, and Design

Commentary: The MOU should also require all new development within the SOI to comply with all City development standards and policies.

LU-1-g SOI Expansion. Maintain the City’s current SOI boundaries without additional expansion, except to allow for the siting of a maintenance yard for the California High Speed Train project and related industrial and employment priority areas proximate to and south of the SOI boundary between State Route 41 and State Route 99. Prohibit residential uses in the expansion area.

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.

IMPLEMENTING POLICIES

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.

LU-2-b Infill Development for Affordable Housing. Establish a priority infill incentive program for residential infill development of existing vacant lots and underutilized sites within the City as a strategy to help to meet the affordable housing needs of the community.

LU-2-c Infill Design Toolkit. Develop and distribute an infill design toolkit, consistent with the City's Infill Development Act to support and encourage infill development.

Commentary: The toolkit will use photos and diagrams to:

• Explain design and permit requirements and priority infill development incentives;
• Illustrate context-responsive best practices for prototype development; and
• Address detailed issues such as parking, scale, privacy, outdoor spaces, housing types, transitions, building design,

siting and street orientation, setbacks, windows, and general material guidelines and buffering for adjacent uses.

LU-2-e | Neighborhood Preservation. Incorporate standards in the Development Code to preserve the existing residential quality of established neighborhoods.

LU-2-f | Lot Consolidation. Include incentives in the Development Code for streamlining the consolidation of very small, oddly shaped, and difficult to develop lots to create more efficient and developable parcels.

OBJECTIVE

LU-3 | Support the successful fulfillment of plans when adopted for the Downtown Planning Area.

IMPLEMENTING POLICIES

LU-3-a | Downtown Planning Area Plans. Prepare and adopt community plans and Specific Plans for the revitalization and continued development of the Downtown Planning Area neighborhoods, including the Fulton Street corridor, accompanied by implementing regulations that will govern future development in the area.

LU-3-b | Mixed-Use Urban Corridors that Connect the Downtown Planning Area. Support the development of mixed-use urban corridors that connect the Downtown Planning Area with the greater Fresno-Clovis Metropolitan Area with functional, enduring, and desirable urban qualities along the Blackstone Avenue, Shaw Avenue, California Avenue, and Ventura Avenue/Kings Canyon Road corridors, as shown on Figure LU-1: General Plan Land Use Diagram.

LU-3-c | Zoning for High Density on Major BRT Corridors. Encourage adoption of supportive zoning regulations for compact development along BRT corridors leading to the

Chapter 3: Urban Form, Land Use, and Design

Downtown Core that will not diminish the long-term growth and development potential for Downtown.

OBJECTIVE

LU-4 Enhance existing residential neighborhoods through regulations, code enforcement, and compatible infill development.

IMPLEMENTING POLICIES

LU-4-a Neighborhood Nuisance Abatement. Continue proactive and responsive code enforcement and nuisance abatement programs to improve the attractiveness of residential neighborhoods.

LU-4-b Neighborhood Reinvestment. Promote and consider partnerships with lending institutions that provide a variety of financing alternatives and adhere to the provisions of the federal Community Reinvestment Act.

LU-4-c Housing Task Force. Establish an interagency housing task force to coordinate the housing programs of the City with similar programs of other local jurisdictions and the Fresno Housing Authority to develop a coordinated affordable housing implementation plan.

OBJECTIVE

LU-5 Plan for a diverse housing stock that will support balanced urban growth, and make efficient use of resources and public facilities.

IMPLEMENTING POLICIES

LU-5-a Low Density Residential Uses. Promote low density residential uses only where there are established neighborhoods with semi-rural or estate characteristics.

LU-5-b Medium-Low Density Residential Uses. Promote medium-low density residential uses to preserve existing uses of that nature or provide a transition between low and medium density residential areas.

LU-5-c Medium Density Residential Uses. Promote medium density residential uses to maximize efficient use of residential property through a wide range of densities.

OBJECTIVE | ---|--- LU-6 | Retain and enhance existing commercial areas to strengthen Fresno’s economic base and site new office, retail, and lodging use districts to serve neighborhoods and regional visitors.

Chapter 3: Urban Form, Land Use, and Design

IMPLEMENTING POLICIES

LU-6-a | Design of Commercial Development. Foster high quality design, diversity, and a mix of amenities in new development with uses through the consideration of guidelines, regulations and design review procedures.

LU-6-b | Commercial Development Guidelines. Consider adopting commercial development guidelines to assure high quality design and site planning for large commercial developments, consistent with the Urban Form policies of this Plan.

Commentary: The guidelines should address:

• Architectural finishes, coordinated color palette, massing, and hierarchy in scale;
• Pedestrian-scaled amenities, signage, and lighting;
• Site improvements, including parking lot landscaping, perimeter landscaping, foundation landscaping, walkways, and passageways;
• Ground floor transparency requirements along shopping streets and limitations on blank walls in these areas;
• Anti-theft glass on windows, rather than bars or roll-down metal screens, that are architecturally compatible with building design;
• Screening of truck loading, parking, mechanical equipment, transformers, ventilation systems, storage containers, and refuse collection areas from the street;
• Shading and its relationship and effects on surrounding buildings;
• Building entries; and
• Design standards for perimeter walls and fencing.

LU-6-c | Appropriate Office Development. Promote the establishment of development standards for new offices, addressing location, size, and intensity necessary to the City’s needs. Integrate and support employment in adjacent and proximate neighborhoods.

• Locate office projects to provide a transition between more intensive commercial uses and residential areas;

• Facilitate office uses in conjunction with, and adjacent to, institutions and employment centers; and
• Avoid over concentrating office uses in any one part of Fresno when new office developments would create excessive vacancy rates in other established office areas.

LU-6-d Neighborhood and Community Commercial Center Design. Plan for neighborhood mixed use and community commercial uses to implement the Urban Form concepts of this Plan, promote the stability and identity of neighborhoods and community shopping areas, and allow efficient access without compromising the operational effectiveness of the street system.

• Neighborhoods will be anchored by community commercial centers with a mix of uses that meet the area’s needs and create a sense of place; and
• Community commercial centers will be located within Activity Centers.

LU-6-e Regional Center Planning and Design. Promote economic growth with regional commercial centers.

• New regional commercial centers will be located with access to State Routes and/or other major transportation facilities to ensure access from throughout the region; and
• Regional shopping centers will have internally-unified building design, landscaping, and signage standards.

LU-6-f Auto-Oriented Commercial Uses. Direct highway-oriented and auto-serving commercial uses to locations that are compatible with the Urban Form policies of the General Plan. Ensure adequate buffering measures for adjacent residential uses, noise, glare, odors, and dust.

LU-6-g Lodging Facilities Location. Site lodging facilities and related accommodations near major transportation facilities.

OBJECTIVE

LU-7 Plan and support industrial development to promote job growth.

Chapter 3: Urban Form, Land Use, and Design

IMPLEMENTING POLICIES

LU-7-a

Incentives for a Diversity of Industries, Increased Food Processing and Manufacturing, and Related Employment Opportunities in Fresno. Use the City’s Capital Improvement Program to set priorities for locations and timing of water, sewer, and transportation infrastructure investments by the City and initiate implementation programs to encourage development of targeted industries as identified under Policy ED-3-c, in employment land use areas designated on Figure LU-1: Land Use Diagram.

Commentary: The South Industrial Area, located generally south of Jensen Avenue within the City’s SOI, intersected by State Routes 41 and 99, and containing over 1,100 vacant acres designated for industry, is one such priority industrial development area for major infrastructure improvements (See Figure I-3).

LU-7-b

Business and Industrial Parks. Promote business and industrial park sites that are of sufficient size, unified in design, and diversified in activity to attract a full range of business types needed for economic growth.

LU-7-c

Efficiency of Industrial Uses. Promote industrial land use clusters to maximize the operational efficiency of similar activities.

• Provide access to a range of transportation modes through plans and incentives, ensuring that local, regional, and national connections are available to industrial uses;
• Develop a strategy to promote rail-accessible sites for industries that need such capability; and
• Ensure timely access to the full range of urban services for industrial development by coordinating proposed plans with the annual and long-range City infrastructure planning.

LU-7-d

Industrial Waste. Establish appropriate development standards and review procedures in the Development Code for industrial waste recycling operations and waste transfer stations.

LU-7-e | Shared Parking for Industrial Uses. Promote use of shared surface parking and other arrangements necessary to meet industrial needs with updated parking regulations.

OBJECTIVE

LU-8 | Provide for the development of civic and institutional land uses to meet the educational, medical, social, economic, cultural, and religious needs of the community.

IMPLEMENTING POLICIES

LU-8-a | Civic and Institutional Use Compatibility. Protect civic and institutional areas from incompatible uses that could affect their vitality and contributions to the city.

LU-8-b | Access to Public Facilities. Ensure that major public facilities and institutions have adequate multi-modal access and can be easily reached by public transit.

LU-8-c | Zoning for Public Facilities. Allow public facility uses in zoning districts where appropriate.

LU-8-d | Public Facilities and Institutions Meeting City Standards. Request that federal, State, and local agencies locating public facilities and institutions in the City or designated growth area, meet City standards for public streets and sidewalks, access, parking, water supply, wastewater disposal, landscaping, and amenities.

OBJECTIVE

LU-9 | Plan land uses, design, and development intensities to supplement and support, and not compete with, the Downtown.

IMPLEMENTING POLICIES

LU-9-a | Residential Locations. Plan for new residential uses and types in a manner that help make the Downtown Planning Area a convenient destination for employment and regional retail shopping.

LU-9-b | Activity Centers. Plan for future Activity Centers at appropriate locations that avoid competition with Downtown businesses.

Chapter 3: Urban Form, Land Use, and Design

LU-9-c | Primacy of Downtown. Maintain the Downtown mixed-use areas as the Primary Activity Center within the city with the tallest buildings to enhance its profile and visibility. | | Commentary: Activity Centers outside of Downtown may include, but not be limited to, the vicinity of Woodward Park and the Blackstone Avenue, Kings Canyon Avenue, and Shaw Avenue corridors.

LU-9-d | Directional Signage. Direct travelers to the Downtown with directional signage throughout the city and along regional routes.

LU-9-e | Downtown Sightline. Require new development to preserve existing sightlines to Downtown to the extent feasible.

LU-9-f | View Corridors. Promote new view corridors that highlight the Downtown skyline.

LU-9-g | Improve Access. Provide opportunities to enhance the existing physical accessibility of Downtown in order to encourage the inclusion of individuals with disabilities.

OBJECTIVE

LU-10 | Promote regional cooperation and coordination on land use and planning issues among local jurisdictions.

IMPLEMENTING POLICIES

LU-10-a | Regional Land Use and Transportation Planning Program. Continue participation efforts in a coordinated Regional Land Use and Transportation Planning Program with the City of Clovis, Fresno and Madera counties, and other cities in the region.

| Commentary: This program can undertake mutually-agreeable development strategy to:

• Identify areas suitable for development;
• Direct urban development to incorporated cities;
• Propose programs to meet federal, State, and local air quality requirements;

• Identify future regional facilities and services, including transportation corridors, water, and sewerage;
• Conserve agricultural land and prevent its premature conversion including requirements for an economic assessment, phasing plan, and criteria to prevent leapfrog development; and
• Discourage the creation of new rural residential lots and subdivisions.

LU-10-b Integrity of the General Plan. Urge neighboring jurisdictions to support the integrity and implementation of the General Plan.

LU-10-c Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). Comply with the most recent Master Settlement Agreement and Amended and Restated MOU between the City of Fresno and County of Fresno. Update the existing MOU and Agreement as necessary to implement the goals of this Plan.

OBJECTIVE

LU-11 Encourage coordination with adjacent jurisdictions in providing public services, infrastructure and cooperative economic development.

IMPLEMENTING POLICIES

LU-11-a Regional Programs. Coordinate with the County of Fresno, County of Madera, the City of Clovis and other cities or special districts to:

• Promote resource management programs to avoid overlap and duplication of effort;
• Promote the development of a regional justice system program to meet future needs of the justice system, both adult and juvenile, including the judicial system and law enforcement;
• Promote the development of a regional public health program to meet future needs including community, environmental and mental health services; and
• Promote the development of a regional program to meet future library, recreational and social service needs of the region.

LU-11-b Regional Economic Development. Promote cooperative efforts with the County of Fresno, the County of Madera, the City of Clovis, other cities, or special districts to develop a regional approach to economic development that:

• Identifies regional economic development programs to create jobs and provide cost-effective incentives to assist business development of regional significance; and

• Promotes an agricultural-industrial synergy that will enable a significant portion of agricultural products to be fully prepared and processed locally.

LU-11-c General Plan Consistency. Pursue coordinated planning and development project reviews with relevant federal, State, and local public agencies to ensure consistency with this General Plan.

3.6 BUILDINGS AND DESIGN

Many well-known areas in Fresno are easily identified by their urban design and architecture. Both new and old, these areas can also serve as a basis for community dialogue when discussing design in general or specific proposed design guidelines and standards. Areas such as the Tower District, Huntington Boulevard, Wilson Island, Van Ness Boulevard in the Fresno High area, and Old Fig Garden possess architectural and urban design characteristics that are highly valued by local residents and businesses. There are other areas in Fresno that are not so well known, but are highly regarded by their neighborhood because of urban design features.

For the most part, higher density and high-rise buildings are focused in Downtown. The State Route 41/Blackstone Avenue corridor is designated in the 2025 General Plan as a high-rise/mid-rise district, originally proposed in 1984, but has not yet developed as such. Once outside Downtown, the intensity and overall mass of buildings with a few exceptions in the River Park area are relatively low and homogenous. Generally, one- and two-story buildings predominate, although in distinct areas some structures rise up to four and six stories. Going forward and in support of Downtown, LU-9 policies provide desirable guidance.

Many buildings in Fresno are conservative in design, with some exceptions, such as the City Hall and the Robert E. Coyle Federal Building. Pre-World War II homes are highly valued and exhibit considerable variety and texture. The

California ranch home movement produced notable homes in Old Fig Garden. Also, some garden office buildings are notable for the quality of their landscape and low-lying design.

OBJECTIVE

D-1 Provide and maintain an urban image that creates a “sense of place” throughout Fresno.

IMPLEMENTING POLICIES

D-1-a Direct Access to Units. Require all new multi-family residential development located within Activity Centers and/or along BRT and other transit or pedestrian-oriented streets (Collector and Local), including high-rise, townhomes or other units, to provide direct pedestrian street access and to promote walkable connectivity, individualization, family-friendly development, identity, and street safety to the maximum extent reasonably feasible.

D-1-b Active Ground Floor Frontage. Encourage all new development located within Activity Centers and/or along BRT corridors to incorporate active ground floor frontages that engage pedestrians to the maximum extent feasible. Establish pedestrian-oriented design standards in the Development Code for building frontages, transparency, fenestration, and entries to create active streetscapes.

D-1-c Privately Owned Public Spaces. Consider creating and adopting design standards and incentives for providing privately owned open spaces and plazas for gathering to enhance the pedestrian realm and provide opportunities for social interaction.

D-1-d Public Art. Continue to promote a citywide public art program that contributes to an awareness of the City’s history and culture.

D-1-e Graphic Identity. Continue the preservation, promotion, procurement and strategic location of landmarks, monuments and artwork that provide orientation and represent Fresno's cultural heritage and artistic values.

D-1-f Update Street Signs. Consider updating street sign regulations to create a way-finding system and graphic identity without dominating city and district appearance.

Chapter 3: Urban Form, Land Use, and Design

OBJECTIVE --- | --- D-2 | Enhance the visual image of all "gateway" routes entering the Fresno Planning Area.

IMPLEMENTING POLICIES --- | --- D-2-a | Design Requirements for Gateways. Create unified design requirements for gateways to welcome travelers to the City’s Activity Centers. | Commentary: Gateway route designation will be considered for application to key access routes such as State Routes 99, 41, 168, and 180; passenger rail rights-of-way; Peach Avenue, McKinley Avenue, and Clinton Way where air travelers enter Fresno; Van Ness Avenue; Fulton, Divisadero, Tulare, and

Fresno Streets; Belmont and Olive; and Blackstone, Abby, Shaw and Herndon Avenues.

OBJECTIVE

D-3 | Create unified plans for Green Streets, using distinctive features reflecting Fresno’s landscape heritage.

IMPLEMENTING POLICIES

D-3-a | Green Street Tree Planting. Create a Green Street Tree Planting Program, with a well-balanced variety and spacing of trees to establish continuous shading and visual continuity for each streetscape. Strive to achieve coherent linkages between public and private spaces, prioritizing tree planting along tree-deficient Arterial Roadways in neighborhoods characterized by lower per capita rates of vehicle ownership.

D-3-b | Funding for Green Street Tree Planting Program. Pursue funding for the Green Street Tree Planting Program, including landscaping of median islands.

D-3-c | Local Streets as Urban Parkways. Develop local streets as "urban parkways," where appropriate, with landscaping and pedestrian spaces.

D-3-d | Undergrounding Utilities. Partner with utility companies to continue to pursue the undergrounding of overhead utilities as feasible.

OBJECTIVE

D-4 | Preserve and strengthen Fresno’s overall image through design review and create a safe, walkable and attractive urban environment for the current and future generations of residents.