The City of Clovis Planning Commission on Jan. 23 approved an amendment to a conditional use permit allowing Valley Crescent School to build a new two-story classroom building, relocate a basketball court and increase the school’s maximum enrollment to 414 students, subject to conditions including a review one year after issuance of the building’s certificate of occupancy.

The school, at 547 West Neath Avenue, will add a proposed 12,500-square-foot, two-story classroom building and a shifted basketball court and seeks to increase enrollment from the current permit maximum of 174 students by 240 students to a total of 414. Assistant Planner Marissa Parker told commissioners the project was reviewed with a traffic impact analysis and a noise study; staff concluded the site is physically suitable and that the studies did not identify required street or site changes.

The commission’s action carries conditions set out in the staff report, including adherence to an existing restriction that no drop-off, pickup or parking associated with the school is allowed on Sylmar Avenue (condition No. 9) and requirements that outdoor speakers and amplified sound comply with the city’s noise limits (condition No. 14). Commissioners added a condition that the CUP be brought back to the Planning Commission for review one year after the certificate of occupancy is issued so neighbors and staff can report any operational problems.

Supporters from the school said the expansion is intended to provide a science lab, a computer lab, staff space and other indoor facilities that the campus lacks. “We want to provide the highest quality of students that enter our school system,” said Dr. Omar Chaudhry, a board member and the project representative. School principal Malika Harizzi clarified weekday start and end times during the hearing, saying students typically arrive by 7:45 a.m., classes begin at 8 a.m., dismissal is by 3:30–3:45 p.m., and after-school tutoring and clubs would generally be held indoors and conclude before the evening hours.

Neighbors opposed the amendment, citing concerns about noise, traffic safety, privacy and property values. Several residents said playground and recess noise is already disruptive; one neighbor, Todd Valeri, who lives immediately east of the school, said the noise study did not match his lived experience and said he has had to contend with loud events and a public-address system in the past. Multiple speakers cited a fatal crash in 2023 near the neighborhood as evidence the intersections in the area present safety concerns.

City staff and the applicant responded that the traffic study—prepared as part of the application—concluded the proposed increase would not reduce the acceptable operating level of Neath Avenue and that the school site provides a drop-off circulation pattern similar to other nearby schools. Parker said internal city departments and outside agencies returned no opposing comments on the project. The school acknowledged limited prior neighborhood outreach and several school representatives said they will meet with neighbors and attempt to mitigate concerns.

At the close of deliberations, the Planning Commission recorded a motion to approve CUP1995-009(A4) with the added condition to bring the permit back for review one year after issuance of the certificate of occupancy. The recorded vote was 3–1 in favor: Commissioner Henkel (yes), Chair Antuneau (yes), Commissioner Hatcher (yes) and Commissioner Bedstead (no).

The permit includes multiple conditions described in the staff report; staff said code enforcement could be engaged and the CUP could be revoked if operational violations occur and are not remedied. The project will not return to city council unless appealed.


Speakers listed in this article spoke during the Jan. 23, 2025 Planning Commission meeting and are cited where quoted or paraphrased in the text.