May 29, 2025 — Create Clovis and General Plan Update hosted their second community workshop with the theme being “Visioning” at the Clovis Transit Center on Wednesday, May 28. Around 30 local
residents participated in activities and were educated on the city’s General Plan and its role in shaping the future.
The purpose of the general plan: define a long-term vision for future growth and resource management within the City over the next twenty years; reflect the goals and values of the City;
include opportunities for public outreach and community participation; balance growth,
economic development, conservation, and quality of life.
Each city in California is required to have a General Plan, serving as a visioning document for
how the City should grow and develop over time. Clovis last updated its General Plan in 2014.
General Plan Update will provide residents, businesses, and other stakeholders the opportunity to
provide input to help shape the direction of the City.
Their priority is the to make changes and revisions to the Land Use Map. Providing an
opportunity for property owners throughout Clovis and the Planning Area to request specific
land use designation changes to their properties.
The specifics of that plan will include land use (residential, commercial, industrial, business
parks, open space, etc.); infrastructure planning (roads, water, sewer, etc.); public services
(police, fire, parks, libraries, cultural activities, etc.); and resource conservation (clean air,
sensitive habitat, waterways, groundwater, agriculture, etc.).
“It’s a three-year process. We just started this in September and we’re in Phase 1. We had a
workshop a few weeks ago, one tonight, and we’ll have more workshops in the fall,” said Renee
Mathis, Planning & Development Services Director, City of Clovis. “Once the general plan
committee starts meeting monthly, it’ll be open to the public, they can participate, and there’ll be
opportunities to speak.”
Phase 1: Establish Baseline Conditions and Community Priorities. Phase 2: Land Use Alts and
Policy Priorities. Phase 3: California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and Final General Plan.
Applications for land use change requests will be accepted by the City from May 8-August 8.
The City is accepting applications for the General Plan Advisory Committee (GPAC). The
GPAC is a temporary community-based advisory group that will provide input throughout the
General Plan Update process. A total of 15 committee members will be recommended to the City
Council for final consideration in July, with final selections announced after the City Council
approval.
The “Visioning” workshop had participants engage in three different activities and were placed
in groups. The first, titled “Assets” and “Challenges,” people were given themes and they had to
list what they valued most in Clovis, and then they had to discuss the key challenges or concerns
they see in the community. The second, titled “Visions,” the groups had to brainstorm key
words, themes, and phrases that capture their vision for Clovis in 20 years. The third, titled
“Community Mapping,” people placed different shaped stickers on a map of Clovis. A heart was
places you love, a triangle was places that could be improved, a star was opportunity areas, and a
square was other places needing attention.
You can catch them doing pop-up events in the community to build awareness about the plan.
These workshops serve a purpose this early in the process to create engagement and to prioritize
objectives that residents can agree on.
“People love our trails, they love being outdoors, pickleball seems to be a theme, at the last
meeting we heard a lot about keeping the vibrancy of Old Town Clovis and the Senior Center,”
said Mathis. “There’s a lot that the community really likes and wants to hold onto, they feel like
the community is safe and that’s important.”
Go to https://cityofclovis.com/planning-and-development/planning/planning-projects/general-
plan-update/ in regard to applications for Land Use Designation Changes and General Plan
Advisory Committee.