March 7, 2023 – In between Sunnyside and Fordham avenues on Alluvial Ave sits a portion of land, approximately 1.04 acres. With that land, nothing has been officially completed yet, but works are in the making for creating some sort of housing for future families of Clovis.
What was proposed at Monday’s City Council meeting was the request to designate and rezone the subject property from a single home family residential area to a multi-family, “Medium High” density classification.
After presentations were made on the proper tests that had been done and the recommendation that the council approve the rezoning of the land, questions arose from members of single family residences surrounding the area.
These public comments, stating the wishes of the surrounding homeowners who did not want a multi-family residence to arise in the area, forced council members to question their approval of the matter.
Councilman Matt Basgall and Mayor Lynne Ashbeck, leading the contention, stated that they aligned their views with the views of the surrounding public, complying with the public’s request to not approve a multi-family residence be built in the area.
Mayor Ashbeck stated, “[This land] should look like the houses of our neighbors,” and “I’m not convinced that this is the best thing to do or that we could do worse.”
Councilman Basgall questioned the rezoning and changing of an existing neighborhood, stating that this was his biggest issue with the land and the overall “density” of the project.
Councilman Vong Mouanoutoua however mentioned the fact that Stallion Development and Construction, alongside the city, had already completed a plan for the land, have put time and money into the effort, and that with a plan to create a multi-family residence comes more than a few families that could therefore enroll in nearby Century Elementary School.
“I’m looking at this as the neighborhood, but also as Clovis. Rarely do we get someone coming in to offer a higher density product to allow a different mix of individuals who would like a different product than a single-family home to come into Clovis…That opportunity is rare, because we can’t build. And for a developer or investor or owner to present something like that, I look at it and I go, ‘I think it can be done.’”
One of the other bigger obstructions to the plan came from the flow of traffic, an issue that Councilman Drew Bessinger brought up.
“We do need housing, especially for our healthcare workers, our students at the Health Sciences University, and for regular folks…We’re gonna have to do some homework on the traffic before we start shoveling dirt. If we don’t remedy that, we’re gonna have some problems and some potential serious traffic injuries….My major concern with this isn’t the land use itself, it’s the traffic problems that it’s gonna cause later.”