Plans for strategic growth in west Fresno unveiled

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- It's the newest growth plan for the city: an area of haphazard growth with lots of open land and isolated subdivisions.

The hope is to bring it all together.

The west area of Fresno is an 11 square mile triangle of land west of Highway 99 between Herndon to the North and Clinton to the South. It's been growing haphazardly with a mix of county and city parcels.

Jennifer Clark is Fresno's director of development and research management. She says the goal is to better control growth.

"We'd like to see it happen in a more strategic way," Clark said.

The first step is a blueprint, outlining potential ways to mix housing, business and parklands into the area, which is now home to more than 35 thousand people. Rodney Horton is working on the plan, which is currently a broad outline.

"We are not quite at that detail, where we want certain housing developments or shopping center sites to be located, but we are at the point looking at where certain land uses should go and should not go," Horton said.

The plan will get more specific as time goes on. Environmental and financial studies must still occur and it's expected to go back before the city council in about one year. In time, it is hoped that it will put growth in the right direction.

"There is a lot of growth occurring and pressure to continue to grow into Central Unified school district and there is a lot of opportunity for development," Clark said.

A key feature of the plan includes three regional parks totaling nearly 200 acres.