Planning Commission Approves Permit for Project Near Highway 168

The building designs for the Zippy Mart gas station and convenience store, as well as nearby drive-thru establishments. (Courtesy Clovis Planning Commission)

The plans for a large-scale gas station and drive-thru eateries near the Shaw Avenue exit of Highway 168 are in motion following the latest Clovis Planning Commission meeting.

Site plans have the project located on the 2.75-acre lot, which currently houses the RV Liquidation Center. The RV center would cease operation and be demolished before the construction of the project.

In the center’s place, the developers have planned for a 4,500-square-foot, 24/7 Zippy Mart gas station and convenience store, along with two drive-thru establishments nearby.

Randel Mathias, the project applicant, said that he and his staff have been working on the design plan for a year.

“I took the best with our architect and engineer team,” Mathias said. “We’ve taken the best of what we’ve seen come through in the last 20 years. And I hope that [the plan] measures up.”

Given its location and substantial daily traffic in the area, developers have equipped the project with a circulation pattern design, deceleration lane, multiple access points and ample parking.

All modifications included in the project are designed to accommodate vehicles safely and efficiently from Shaw Avenue.

However, even with the modifications, the commission still has concerns, especially if high-volume drive-thru franchises —like Dutch Bros or Chick-fil-A— were to move in.

Jose Benevidez, with JLB Traffic Engineering, Inc, said he and his team conducted a queuing analysis to determine the amount of traffic that would arrive during a peak hour period.

The site plan shows the location of the future businesses located off of Highway 168. (Courtesy Clovis Planning Commission)

The conclusion was that the area would see around 238 cars per hour during its peak hours, which is why Benevidez’s staff recommended widening the driveways and adding a right-turn lane.

Benevidez says that the area’s storage capacity will accommodate the amount of traffic it will see.

He did say that they did not conduct a study on what it would look like during an event period, and the number could fluctuate based on events taking place at Fresno State and the Save Mart Center.

Mathias believes that consumers will become acclimated to the design and will help mitigate the spacing issues.

The Commission stated that if a business brings high-volume to the area that will create additional traffic, then that business would be responsible for governing the people in the drive-thru.

Commissioner Brandon Bedsted said that the Commission doesn’t want to limit what businesses can come into the designated spaces but would like those businesses to maintain traffic overflow.

“From my perspective, we have a duty to make sure that traffic flows, [and] aren’t impeding other people’s rights of travel,” said Bedsted.

The Commission approved three conditional permits for the proposed tenants of the location.

Conditions were added for the future drive-thru businesses, requiring the implementation of traffic control measures coordinated between the city staff and the establishments.

Anthony De Leon is a journalist who started his career in 2017, covering sports for the Fresno City College Rampage, earning his Associate Degree in the process. He then moved on to Fresno State, working for The Collegian serving as Sports Editor, Managing Editor and Editor-in-Chief. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in print journalism. In August, he will begin attending Reynold’s School of Journalism Master’s program at the University of Nevada, Reno.