Press Coverage

Planners halt convenience store proposal

By MICHAEL BAKER
Fresno Bee
November 7, 2002

The Fresno Planning Commission unanimously put the brakes on a green-lighted convenience store project Wednesday night after Fig Garden area residents rallied against the plans Wednesday night.

City planning staff had approved the project for a convenience store with gasoline islands, alcoholic beverage sales, car wash and seven unit apartment complex on a vacant 1.37 acre lot northwest of the Ashlan and Fruit avenues intersection.

That was until a group of Fig Garden residents appealed to the planning commission and after two hours of testimony persuaded commissioners to halt the project in west-central Fresno.

“I am not against convenience stores,” said Nat Dibuduo, planning commission chair. “I don’t think that this is the right place at the right time or the right place at any time.”

As four other planning commissioners echoed the sentiment, a crowd that had jammed into City Hall chambers for the meeting burst into extended applause.

The proposal was offered by Gurnam Gill, president of Fresno-based Griffin’s Enterprises, and had been approved by the City Planning Department.

Convicted Operation Rezone figure, Jim Logan, who spoke on behalf of Gill, told commissioners that the proposal is the Type of infill called for by city plans to refocus development to the interior of Fresno.

It was a notion that many at the meeting hotly contested.

“The idea that this is infill development is quite terrifying to us,” said Patience Milrod.

Twenty-one people spoke against the project, saying it would increase traffic, offer liquor sales where they weren’t wanted, be harmful to students who pass by the store, and was just simply out of character with the residential neighborhood.

In explaining their 5-0 vote against the project, commissioners agreed with many of the points residents made.

“The issue that transcends all other issues is the character and integrity of the neighborhood,” commissioner Lee Brand said.

Other commissioners said the project was just too intensive for the location.

The commission is usually a seven-member panel. But Noel Brown abstained from the vote, and Cynthia Sterling, newly elected to Fresno City Council, resigned from the commission at the start of the meeting.

The property at issue Wednesday has a storied history when it comes to development plans.

According to Fresno County records, it is owned by Maragot Corp. Gill said he expects to close escrow in December.

Further, the current property owner is delinquent on three of its last four tax bills, according to records. As of Tuesday, more that $8,800 is owed for the years 1998, 1999, and 2001, according to the records.

In 1987, Logan applied for a permit to redesignate the area from single-family residential to multi family and commercial property. Such a designation was approved.

###