Controversial Fresno Annexation and Development Plan Nears Approval
- Larry Sokoloff
- Nov 14, 2023
- 4 min read
The city of Fresno, which has grown by over 25% since 2000 and has low housing costs relative to coastal metros, is in the midst of another debate over where future growth should go—and how dense it should be.
The current debate is over a specific plan for developing prime farmland on the southeast edge of the city, which is relatively unconstrained by topography or neighboring cities. The plan involves approximately 9,000 acres in what is known as the Southeast Development Area, or SEDA, located east of Fresno, south Clovis and north of Sanger.
The plan would allow up to 45,000 homes and 150,000 new residents. (Fresno currently has 550,000 residents, and is the largest city in the Central Valley, and the fifth largest in the state.) The plan could be adopted by the end of the year.
A 2014 general plan update directed roughly half of the city’s growth to infill development, and the remainder to the urban edges of the city, according to Sophia Pagoulatos, Fresno’s manager of long-range planning.
Today 70% of the SEDA land is made up of vineyards and orchards, and 30% of it is residential.
Despite the vast acreage that might be developed, city planners envision smart growth rather than sprawl. Pagoulatos and Director of Development Jennifer Clark point to plans to create pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods under SEDA, with transit-oriented amenities, such as the extension of a bus rapid transit service into the new area.
Clark called the specific plan “a very progressive document,” which will impose a growth boundary on its eastern edge to prevent sprawl.
