1 week ago
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FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - The westbound of the 99 is going to spot a boost! The Fresno City Council has approved a program to supply infrastructure and improvement westbound of Highway 99 to support up with accelerated growth.
The West Area Neighborhoods Specific Plan is simply a blueprint for aboriginal location developments, market stores, restaurants and retail. All things residents person been asking for the past 8 years.
But astatine the Thursday's metropolis assembly gathering residents besides reminded leaders that there's inactive a batch of basal infrastructure missing.
"Without this plan, the westbound continues, facing fragmented development. Homes earlier roads, families earlier services and postulation earlier safety," said April Henry, Executive Director of the Highway City Community Development.
Community members highlighted the request for sidewalks, postulation lights, and crosswalks.
"Many schools deficiency entree to motorcycle lanes, truthful parents person to thrust alternatively and students walking to schoolhouse dredged done a muddy ditch alternatively of a sidewalk, depending connected which broadside of the thoroughfare and which artifact they unrecorded on," said Nabil Kherfan, Central Unified School District Trustee.
Kherfan says students look large intersections with nary crosswalks successful sight.
"West of the 99 does not person a harmless routes to and from school," helium said.
The program runs northbound of Clinton Avenue and East of Garland Avenue, astir of which falls successful Fresno City Councilwoman Annalisa Perea's district.
"It's been agelong overdue. I deliberation if it was successful spot 20, 30 years ago, that broadside of the metropolis would look a batch antithetic than it is today," Perea said.
Back successful 2017, residents started gathering to laic retired their needs similar wellness clinics, banks, parks and more.
But, to bash this, parts of the westbound had to beryllium rezoned.
"We're moving retired of country to grow. And truthful what we did arsenic portion of that program is we were capable to summation the fig of onshore disposable to physique much homes due to the fact that we are successful a lodging crisis, but we are besides expanding a batch of different onshore usage designations from retail to parkland space," Perea said.
Now with the stamp of support by the council, Perea hopes residents yet consciousness the concern that've been waiting for.
"It's a program that's asked to bash a batch of things and woody with a lot, beforehand growth, caller development, sphere agrarian and cultivation landscapes and taste traditions, enactment for residents and enactment for developers," said Daniel Brannick, Board of Director for the Highway City Community Development.
While this program outlines wherever aboriginal improvement volition go, Councilmember Perea reminds america determination is already question successful the west. Dolores Huerta Park is nether construction. Polk Avenue is being widened and Ashlan Avenue is next.
