Fresno City Committee Meeting - May 14, 2026
Fresno City Committee Meeting - May 14, 2026
Note: The transcript indicates the meeting occurred on May 13, 2026, but this summary uses the date provided in the instructions (May 14, 2026) as explicitly directed.
The meeting began at 5:35 PM with a roll call. Present members: Dene Garza, Janet, Jared, Lois, Denise, Robert, Bonna, Geraldine, Kevin. The meeting included a workshop on a text amendment to the development code and a conditional use permit for alcohol sales.
Consent Calendar
- The agenda for the meeting was approved unanimously.
- The minutes of the April 8, 2026, meeting were approved with a correction: member Dene Garza was noted absent (the original draft incorrectly listed him as present). Motion carried unanimously.
Discussion Items
- Workshop: Text Amendment P26-01326 (Housing Element Compliance)
- Adrian Azadoran Gilbert of the Planning and Development Department presented a workshop on a proposed text amendment to comply with California Government Code sections 65580–65589.11. The amendment would allow housing developments that provide at least 20% of units affordable to lower-income households to use a ministerial (streamlined) review process, provided the project is on a non-vacant site identified in a prior housing element or a vacant site listed in two or more consecutive housing elements. This is Program 9 of the city’s 2023–2031 6th Cycle Housing Element, adopted by the City Council in December 2024 and certified by the state in January 2025. No specific project was discussed; the amendment only updates the development code. It will be presented to the Planning Commission on June 3, 2026, and to the City Council on June 18, 2026. Committee members asked clarifying questions about the definition of “housing element,” eligibility criteria, and affordability levels (set by the state). No vote was taken; the workshop was informational.
- Alcoholic Beverage Conditional Use Permit P260356 (Ken Vang)
- Applicant Ken Vang, accompanied by developer George Dean, requested a conditional use permit to upgrade an existing Type 20 (beer and wine) license to a Type 21 (general) license for the Zippy Mark convenience store at the northwest corner of Alluvial and Willow Avenue (an existing gas station with a convenience market). The upgrade would allow sale of all alcoholic beverages for off-premises consumption. Vang cited population growth in the area justifying an additional license (one of eight new Type 21 licenses drawn by the state for Fresno County). The council member for that district had no objection. Committee members asked about the location and existing alcohol sales; Vang clarified the store already sells beer and wine and the change merely expands inventory. The permit was approved by a unanimous voice vote.
Key Outcomes
- Consent calendar (agenda and minutes) approved.
- Conditional use permit P260356 approved for Zippy Mark convenience store.
- Workshop on text amendment P26-01326 presented; no action taken. Next steps: Planning Commission hearing on June 3, 2026, and City Council hearing on June 18, 2026.
- During open discussion, a member requested larger printed exhibits for future meetings to improve readability; staff agreed to accommodate.
Meeting Transcript
Well, are we live? Yes, we're gonna go ahead and call our meeting into order. And it is 5 35 p.m. on Wednesday, May 13th. And the first item of business is the call, uh, a roll call. And so Dene Garza, that's me. I'm here, and then we have Janet. Jared, Lois here, Denise, Robert, Bonna? Here, Geraldine, Kevin. All right, and uh first item of business is number one approval of agenda for today, May 13th, 2026. Thank you. Thank you. All in favor. All right, and consent calendar for April 8th, 2026 meeting minutes. Uh slight correction. I was not here last month, and it's kind of has me here and not here. So could just clean that up. Thank you. And so with those edits, I think we can make a motion to approve. And then it's for April 8th. Thank you, Janet. And moving are all in favor. Okay. And then a project review new matters. So we have a workshop today, letter A for the text amendment application number P26-01326. And so do we have somebody here to present our workshop for today? Online, we have Adrian who will be speaking on this item. So real quick, Adrian, give me just a moment. What about doing the if we have people here to submit? So first. Um, so since this is the letter A first item of order today, we're just gonna go ahead and do this one since she's already ready. So you said your name was Edrien? Adrian, yes. Okay, all right, Adrian, the floor is now yours. Thank you. Good evening, everyone. My name is Adrian Azadoran Gilbert. I'm with the planning and development department. Just want to make you all aware of a text amendment to the development code that we are working on. Uh so we are preparing an amendment to our development code in compliance with the California government code section 65580 through 65589.11. Um, and that government code section requires cities to adopt, update, and implement a compliant housing element. This is part of our Fresno General Plan is a housing element. And as a requirement of state law, uh, we are preparing this text amendment that would amend sections 15102, 151102, 15, 1502, 155102, and 156802 of our municipal code uh to permit housing developments that provide at least 20% of the unit units affordable to lower income households through a ministerial zone clearance process. Um assuming that the project is consistent with our objective development and design standards, um, and this would apply to any non vacant site that's been identified in a prior housing element and a vacant site that has been included in two or more consecutive housing elements. Um this is a requirement. I'm sorry, so sorry, can you repeat yourself? Can you replay repeat the two or more vacant what? Yes, so this text amendment would apply to sites that are it's either any non-vacant site that's been identified in a prior housing element, and then a vacant site that has been included in two or more consecutive housing elements. And so this is a requirement of state law. Uh so we are preparing this amendment in accordance with state law, um, in accordance with our housing element.
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