Progress marches on as news homes spring up throughout a growing Clovis

CLOVIS, Calif. (KFSN) -- The sounds of progress is ringing loudly in a neighborhood north of highway 168-- but this progress is not on a slow march. Clovis handed out more than 1,000 permits for new single family homes in 2016-- more than its much larger neighbor, Fresno.

"Certainly the industry has picked up. We've seen quite a bit of development going on, but it doesn't appear to be crazy," said Dwight Kroll, Clovis Planning Director.

Kroll said the growth is above average, but it meets city planning goals for high quality-- from the Loma Vista area way out east to the new Leo Wilson Homes in the Northeast.

Old ranch homes once sat on five-acre plots, but Wilson plans to put about 15 in the same space. Commercial development could follow nearby.

"We don't really get a lot of complaints about the growth of our community, I think because we've had a real balanced growth over the years," said Kroll.

But there are complaints and in one community, there's a holdout too. One man refused to sell his property to Wilson. He told us he moved out here 30 years ago to get away from city life and now it's surrounding him against his will.

Harlan Ranch grew up nearby, and then Dewolf was extended past his property.

He said it's given crooks better access to his property and burglars have struck twice in the last five years, stealing a classic car in one instance. In his opinion, the whole neighborhood is being railroaded and ruined, but for the city, progress marches on.

"We're not growing just for growth's sake. We're growing to grow a sustainable community," said Kroll.

Heritage Grove is the next area of growth up north on Willow near Clovis North and Clovis Community College. But some planners said the city will have to work hard to find a water source for all the new development.