Planning commission backs rezone for WellBe Health PACE center, forwards to city council

The Fresno Planning Commission voted to recommend the City Council approve a rezone application (P2501778) and a related development permit (P25-1774) for a proposed WellBe Health PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) adult day care facility at the southeast corner of North Cedar Avenue and East Hampton Way.

Planning staff, represented by Valeria Ramirez, told commissioners the site is roughly 3.96 acres and that the proposed development would occur on about 1.17 acres. Ramirez said the property’s underlying office zoning permits adult day care use but that a prior rezone (listed in the staff presentation as R648) placed conditions prohibiting adult daycare on the parcel; the rezone before the commission would remove that condition. Ramirez said staff recommended adoption of the environmental assessment and approval of the rezone and development permit.

Kate Hirsch, representing applicant Turner Impact Capital, said the project would include an up-to-20,000-square-foot single-story building for WellBe Health, retain 167 parking stalls on the site, and install 26 electric-vehicle charging stations. Hirsch said the applicant conducted neighborhood outreach by mailing flyers to property owners and residents within 1,000 feet and held a community meeting in October; she reported no opposition was raised during outreach.

Nicole Butler, executive director of WellBe Health in Fresno, described PACE as a coordinated care model intended to keep eligible seniors in their homes rather than in hospitals or skilled nursing facilities. Butler said WellBe operates 11 buildings across California serving about 2,500 participants statewide, and that an interdisciplinary care team, transportation, home-visits, therapy and an on-site clinic are central to the model. Butler said PACE operates under a three-way contract structure involving the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) and Medi-Cal, with primary funding from the state and federal regulatory oversight from CMS.

Commissioners asked whether the applicant had received public comments; staff and the applicant said none had been received or were expressed at the outreach meeting. Commissioners also asked about language access for Fresno’s multilingual senior population; Butler said WellBe organizes smaller interdisciplinary "pods" to include Spanish-speaking clinical teams, a pod with a majority of Hmong participants, and some Punjabi-speaking providers, and that interpretation services are available when needed.

A commissioner moved to recommend the project and accept staff recommendations; another commissioner seconded. The commission approved the motion by voice vote. The matter will be forwarded to the City Council for final action.

Next steps: the application will proceed to the City Council for consideration; no council hearing date was specified in the commission record.