Clovis city staff members answer questions about an infill rezone program to increase affordable housing opportunities in the city during a Clovis City Council meeting on Monday, Aug. 10, 2026.
CRAIG KOHLRUSS
ckohlruss@fresnobee.com
Clovis is working to redesignate 20 neighborhood parcels for higher-density housing to satisfy a 2024 lawsuit settlement, but the plan has run into fierce resident opposition and last-minute reversals from the City Council. The proposal would accommodate roughly 1,300 new apartment units scattered across the city.
Here are key takeaways 
A parcel of land near Fowler and Alluvial in Clovis is one of 20 parcels now being designated for high-density housing. CRAIG KOHLRUSS
The City Council halted plans in August to rezone five parcels for higher-density development, pulling sites in Harlan Ranch, on Shaw and Leonard avenues and next to Garfield Elementary School for further review. The 15 remaining approved sites can support 817 units on about 34 acres — well short of the court-ordered requirement of 1,284 units — and City Attorney Scott Cross warned Clovis could end up back in court for noncompliance.
The rezone stems from a 2024 settlement of a lawsuit filed by local unhoused advocate Desiree Martinez, who accused Clovis of failing to comply with a state mandate for adequate affordable housing opportunities. The city came up with a plan covering 20 parcels with capacity for 1,303 dwelling units.
But the proposal has faced opposition from Clovis residents. More than 100 written comments have poured in since last November, with homeowners citing worries about neighborhood safety, school capacity, noise and privacy as the plan moves toward final approval.
Based on a developer fee study from Clovis Unified School District, The Fresno Bee calculated that the 1,303 new units could bring an estimated 258 additional students to Clovis Unified.
Meanwhile, the Clovis Planning Commission approved friendlier design rules for apartment developers, cutting parking requirements, reducing open space by about 50%, and eliminating a mandate for children’s play areas at larger complexes, among other changes, to make apartments easier to build. These rules are pending city council discussion and final approval before they go into effect.
At the August council meeting, staff said the city has spent $400,000 in tax dollars over two years on assessments and consultants to select the 20 parcels, and changing sites now would require new environmental and water studies.
This report was produced with the assistance of a proprietary tool powered by artificial intelligence based on our own originally reported, written and published content. Before publishing, journalists reviewed this content in compliance with McClatchy Media’s AI policy.
This story was originally published September 6, 2026 at 8:30 AM.
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Leqi Zhong is the Clovis accountability/enterprise reporter for The Bee. She is a graduate of UC Berkeley with a Master’s degree in journalism. She joined The Bee in 2023 as an education reporter. Leqi grew up in China and is native in Cantonese and Mandarin.