Fresno council rejects South Central specific plan, directs staff to restart process with ad hoc committee

Fresno City Council voted 6-0 on Dec. 5 to deny the South Central Specific Plan and its related final environmental impact report and to direct city staff to form an ad hoc council committee to return with a revised plan. The decision came after five years of work, extensive technical studies and nearly two days of public hearings and testimony.

Planning manager Sofia Pagalotis told the council the plan area covers 5,567 acres and is partly inside and partly outside the city'"The South Central specific plan consists of 5,567 acres of land, 57% of which is located within the city limits," Pagalotis said, describing how the plan would reconfigure land uses, add buffering between heavy industry and sensitive uses and reduce some heavy-industrial designations.

Supporters of the plan argued it would add clarity and mitigation for industrial development in a long-industrial area; opponents, including business groups and industrial employers, warned that the proposed downzoning, 1,000-foot buffers and early requirements for zero- and near-zero-emission equipment would make the area uncompetitive and cost jobs. "I do not see myself supporting this plan," Councilmember Maxwell said, citing the plan's potential to limit local job creation.

Mayor Jerry Dyer urged denial or substantial rework, noting recent state policy changes and new California Air Resources Board guidance and saying the council should not adopt the plan as written: "One of them is to approve the South Central specific plan and EIR, which I would highly recommend you do not do," he said. Dyer recommended sending the plan back to staff for more outreach with the business community and for further work to reflect new state legislation and CARB practices.

The draft plan was produced after Council Resolution 2019-235 directed a planning effort to balance industrial job growth with protections for nearby sensitive uses such as schools and residences. Pagalotis said the plan proposed new overlay development standards, a 1,000-foot buffer measured from identified sensitive uses and limits on particular high-intensity uses near those buffered areas. The California Air Resources Board and state guidance were cited repeatedly in the debate as the source of the 1,000-foot buffer that staff used in the proposal.

Public testimony was sharply divided. Labor and business representatives and local employers urged council members to reject the draft, saying the restrictions would stifle manufacturing and distribution investment that generate high-paying jobs in Fresno. Community groups and environmental advocates urged stronger protections, saying south Fresno neighborhoods already face high pollution burdens and that buffers and other restrictions are needed to protect public health.

Councilmember Arias, who represents neighborhoods nearest the plan area, said he supported revising the plan rather than keeping the draft: "We are talking about people's livelihoods. Both their ability to survive and their ability to do business," Arias said, stressing the need for a middle ground that protects residents while allowing appropriate employment uses.

After discussion, Councilmember Arias moved to deny the plan as drafted and to direct staff to work with an ad hoc committee of council members and stakeholders to prepare a revised approach. The motion, seconded by Councilmember Bretefield, passed 6-0 (Arias, Maxwell, Chavez, Bretefield, Carvassi, Perea voting yes). Council staff said the plan team would return with recommended next steps and that a fresh draft EIR and public review period could follow once the council provided scope and direction for revisions.

The vote effectively kills the current draft; staff told the council some elements of the technical work may be reusable but said a re-start will be required to incorporate the new direction and any additional studies. Pagalotis and planning staff said they would bring an implementation timeline and any necessary contract amendments or funding requests back to the council for authorization.

The council's decision means the current South Central specific plan and its program-level EIR will not be adopted. Staff said they would return with options for next steps including a revised plan, additional outreach and the formation of a council ad hoc committee to guide new work. The council also asked staff to compile the public comments and a summary of the technical findings for the next briefing.

Ending: The council's action leaves existing General Plan land-use designations in place for the area until a new plan or alternative policy is adopted. Staff said they would quickly prepare a public timeline for the next steps and a summary of the technical materials so the public and stakeholders can track the new process.