Planning Commission Approves New Plans for Heritage Grove Area

A rendering of the gateway to Heritage Grove, one of three Urban Centers identified by the Clovis General Plan. Each Urban Center will accommodate a population of approximately 30,000 citizens. (City of Clovis)

The City of Clovis Planning Commission on Thursday, May 28 approved plans for a 255-lot neighborhood on the northwest corner of Shepherd Ave. and N. Clovis Ave. It’s the second project to be given approval within Heritage Grove after another neighborhood was given the green light in 2018.

Heritage Grove is the name given to the master plan for development in the northwest area of the city. The area extends north from Shepherd Ave. to Copper Ave. and east from Willow Ave. to Sunnyside Ave. The city expects the roughly 2,500 acre area to accommodate 30,000 residents.

This new development, though, totals just 38.5 acres and is comparatively much smaller than the 168 acre neighborhood currently being built that was approved two years ago. Only one property is within the boundaries of this new development, but it is vacant. The plan is for this new neighborhood to be gated and for homes to be bought and sold, rather than rented.

Commissioner Mike Cunningham was the only commissioner to vote against the plan. Cunningham raised significant concerns with the fact that the neighborhood had no plans for sidewalks. He did not want the plans to force pedestrians or bicycles onto the street.

“For the reasons I have stated before, no.” Cunningham said during the vote.

Commissioner Paul Hinkle expressed concerns with traffic flow between the neighborhood and the commercial area that is currently zoned to the west of the neighborhood.

“My concern is entry into the project, I see some real issues, thinking ahead, what this area is going to look like 20 years from now. I would like to see some thought on relocating that entry and exit. I think it’s going to be much better overall,” Hinkle suggested.

Hinkle voted in favor of the plan after attaching an amendment that he felt would ease some of the potential traffic problems. Hinkle also wanted the developers to consider electric vehicles and electric vehicle charging when building the homes, that suggestion was welcomed by the constructors who said they would take it into consideration.

The Planning Commission also approved a general plan consistency finding for the 2021 Community Investment Program.

It was a largely procedural vote as the commission has little power or control of the Community Investment Program. The Planning Commission simply needed to find that the program conformed with the Clovis General Plan. The vote to approve was a unanimous 5-0.

Ryan graduated from Buchanan High School in 2018 and is currently a student at Clovis Community College and plans to transfer to a four-year school to complete a degree in journalism or political science. Ryan was born in Pennsylvania, has lived in four states, and thinks the Yankees need to be more creative with the design of their batting practice hats.