Fresno Planning Commission Development Code Workshop - September 4, 2026
Fresno Planning Commission Development Code Workshop - September 4, 2026
The Fresno Planning Commission held a workshop on September 4, 2026 (though the transcript references September 2, the date provided in the instruction is used), focusing on the city's Development Code and subdivision map design standards. The commission approved the agenda with no changes and had no consent calendar items. A previously continued item (ID 261176) was moved to September 16.
Discussion Items
- Development Code Workshop: Planning managers Phil Seagrist and Israel Trejo presented an overview of the six-part structure of the Development Code (Chapter 15 of the Fresno Municipal Code), including general provisions, base and overlay districts, regulations applying to some or all districts, land divisions, administration, and definitions. Key topics included non-conforming uses, density calculations, parking reductions, landscaping standards, and the roles of various planning authorities (city council, planning commission, director). Commissioners asked about community facilities district (CFD) maintenance schedules, potential text amendments for data centers (as reported by the Business Journal), the conditional use permit (CUP) process for smoke shops (noted as director-level unless appealed), and the requirement for developers to install utilities for smaller parcels versus larger parcels.
- Subdivision Maps Workshop: Supervising planner Rob Holt detailed the subdivision map process, including tentative and final maps, density calculations (net acreage), lot size/depth/width requirements, double-frontage lots, connectivity and street design (connector streets, stub streets, emergency vehicle access), pedestrian access to major streets, trailer design (requiring homes to face trails), and open space requirements (required for subdivisions with more than 50 parcels, calculated at 0.01884 acres per dwelling unit). Commissioners asked about ownership and maintenance of corner lot landscaping (deeded to the city and maintained via CFD) and the calculation of remainder parcels.
Key Outcomes
- No formal votes or decisions were made; the meeting was purely educational.
- Staff indicated they could hold future workshops on specific topics such as parking, signs, or community facilities districts.
- Chair Bray requested a hard copy of the Development Code.
- The continued item (ID 261176) was rescheduled to September 16.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening. It's uh September 2nd, Wednesday. This is the Planning Commission meeting, six o'clock. So I'd like to start the meeting with a salute to the flag. Ready? We do the roll call, please. Commissioner Holt. Present. Present, sorry. Commissioner Giles. Here. Commissioner Kalandra. Here. Commissioner Shergill. Present. Commissioner Diaz. Here. Vice Chair Lyday. Present. Chair Bray. Here. I'll read the procedures now. I see that I did the Pledge of Allegiance out of order. Um this meeting is being conducted in person electronically. For each matter considered by the commission, there will be first a staff presentation followed by a presentation from the project applicant. Testimony from the supporters of the project will then be taken, followed by testimony from those in opposition. The applicant will have a right to a final rebuttal presentation prior to the closing of the public hearing. In accordance with section 13 of Article 2 of the Planning Commission rules and regulations governing the length of public debate, all public testimony from those in support in opposition of the project will be limited to three minutes per person. The three lights on the podium next to the microphone will indicate the amount of time remaining for the speaker. The green light will be turned on when the speaker begins. The yellow light will come on with a soft bell ring when one minute is remaining. The speaker should be completing their uh uh completing their testimony by the time the red light comes on with a final bill indicating time has expired. All in-person public testimony must be presented to the commission at the podium. Any testimony that references race, religion, ethnicity, economic status, national origin, or any other classification protected under state or federal law in a derogatory manner shall be deemed irrelevant and will not be considered by the commission in making its land use determinations. If you challenge these land use determinations in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised in oral or written testimony or before the close of the hearing. So we'll start today's meeting with the approval of the agenda. Are there any changes? Good evening, Chair Bray, members of the planning commission. I'm Israel Trajo with the planning and development department. No changes to the agenda. Thank you. Thank you. Do any commissioners have a change for the agenda? If not, can we have a motion to approve? Okay, we had a motion to approve by Commissioner Diaz, seconded by Commissioner Leide. So if you're in favor, say aye. Aye. If you're opposed, signify by saying nay. Okay, motion passes. We'll move on to the consent calendar now.
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