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Planning Commission recommends Hanford Place mixed‑use medical development to City Council
Summary
The Hanford Planning Commission voted to recommend certification of a mitigated negative declaration and approval of a general plan amendment, rezone and planned unit development for the 39.16‑acre Hanford Place master plan, which would allow medical, hotel, residential and skilled‑nursing uses north of Highway 198.
The Hanford Planning Commission on Jan. 14 recommended that the City Council consider approvals for Hanford Place, a 39.16‑acre master‑planned medical and mixed‑use development north of Highway 198.
Staff described the project as a request for a general plan amendment (2022‑01) to change the designation from highway commercial to a mix of service commercial and high‑density residential, a rezone (2022‑01) from CH (highway commercial) to CS (service commercial) and RH (high‑density residential), a planned unit development overlay (PUD 2022‑01) to allow blended zoning, and certification of Mitigated Negative Declaration 202393. Staff recommended that the commission forward the items to the City Council with recommendations of approval.
The Hanford Place master plan would cover about 39.16 acres located between 11th and 12th Avenues along Glen Drive and calls for up to 15 buildings with uses described in the staff report as medical outpatient clinics, medical office, retail, a hotel and conference center, specialized education (including a nursing college), skilled nursing and assisted‑living, and multifamily residential uses, plus associated open space, parking, circulation and a bio‑infiltration basin. The staff report said the proposal is not permitted under the existing CH zoning and therefore requests CS and RH zoning and the PUD to allow shared parking, cross access, modified setbacks and a 50‑foot maximum building height across the development.
Staff told commissioners that the project was first scheduled for a 2023 hearing but was continued after a late comment letter from Adventist Health Systems; the applicant subsequently met with Adventist Health and the project was rescheduled. Staff said one public comment was received raising construction impacts and concerns about redesign of Glendale Avenue; that comment was included in the staff packet. The environmental review history in the staff report cited CEQA section 15073 and noted the project was circulated with a notice of intent to adopt a mitigated negative declaration; staff reported no agency comments during the circulation period.
During the public hearing the record showed at least one comment from Brett Swayze raising construction‑period impacts and redesign questions. After public comment closed, commissioners moved to recommend certification of the mitigated negative declaration (Item 1), and to adopt resolutions recommending the general plan amendment (Resolution 2025‑04), the rezone (Resolution 2025‑05) and the PUD (Resolution 2025‑06) to the City Council. The commission voted to forward each item; the transcript records that each motion passed (the transcript does not provide a detailed roll‑call tally for these four recommendations).
The staff packet identified related documents and references including the planning entitlements (General Plan Amendment 2022‑01, Rezone 2022‑01, PUD 2022‑01), Mitigated Negative Declaration 202393, and the findings in the staff report consistent with the cited sections of the Hanford Municipal Code. The commission closed the public hearing after approving the recommendation motions.
The items will next be considered by the Hanford City Council; no City Council hearing date was specified in the transcript or staff presentation.
