As the city of Clovis eyes new development areas beyond Loma Vista and Heritage Grove, the city’s school system plans its own corollary growth, with a massive site eclipsing its more recent venture in the south end of town.

Discussions are underway to purchase a 250-acre site near Herndon and McCall avenues, district spokesperson Kelly Avants told GV Wire. While it would likely be another 20 to 30 years before development, the site’s size gives the district the flexibility to anticipate needs as the city puts together its new general plan.

For comparison, the Terry Bradley Educational Center at Clinton and Highland avenues is 170 acres.

“It provides us with flexibility to be prepared for the possibility that in addition to the usual elementary, intermediate, and high school housed on an educational center, there may also be other ancillary facilities needed by the time the schools are built,” Avants said.

Planning Commission Give OK to Land Buy

In August, the Fresno County Planning Commission cleared the purchase, and in October, Avants expects the Clovis Unified board to take action on a resolution identifying future school sites.

Before the city moves east again, it needs to finish northward expansion. With Loma Vista surpassing its necessary 70% buildout, the city will soon open up Heritage Grove in earnest, with developers already getting approvals for hundreds more homes, Clovis planner George Gonzalez told GV Wire.

The city will propose its specific plan for Heritage Grove in early 2027 and already, major retailers and builders have staked claims to follow that growth, said Councilmember Drew Bessinger. Bessinger is running for re-election to District 5 representing Heritage Grove against business owner Sarah Almond and business leader Des Haus.

“People want to move here. And being a faster-growing city, we have a general plan that addresses growth in that area, but we’re also reupping our general plan where we’re going to talk about where we’re going to be in the next 25 years,” Bessinger said.

Heritage Grove Attracting Homebuilders, Home Buyers

Wilson Homes, Bonadelle Homes, and Lennar Homes have all gotten approvals for more homes in Heritage Grove. The plan in total calls for more than 5,000 homes.

Disclosure: GV Wire Publisher Darius Assemi is president of Granville Homes. While Granville does not actively build in Heritage Grove, it does have adjacent properties.

Clovis officials previously approved 600 units for Lennar, with “a good portion of them” already built, Gonzalez said. Another 385 lots were recently approved, he said.

Wilson Homes got approval for 385 homes, many of which are built, and Bonadelle Homes received approvals for 162.

Prescribed designs for homes and commercial areas match the areas agricultural heritage with Spanish- and Mediterranean-style homes Gonzalez said. That differs from Loma Vista, which focused on the craftsman style.

“We knew that for the northwest, in Heritage Grove, we wanted to honor more of the farming, agricultural heritage of the area,” Gonzalez said.

Accounting for Expansion Costs in the City

By early 2027, planners hope to have environmental review of Heritage Grove completed so that the city council can approve a specific plan that opens the door for further development and for commercial growth.

Interest in the area has taken off with developers buying or optioning land to get in before prices rise, Bessinger said.

The city still has major infrastructure needs for the area that include not only roads but also water, he said. Bonds issued for a wastewater treatment facility now limit the city’s borrowing capacity, and it won’t be until 2035 that other bonds sunset, Bessinger said.

For Loma Vista, the city paid for infrastructure using a split of development fees and city funds backstopped by water user fees, he said.

Earlier this year, the city council approved its first water rate increases since 2016. Rates will increase 60% over the next three years, though for comparison, the city currently has the lowest water rates in the region, according to a city study.

The city also needs to expand roads and add infrastructure underneath, Bessinger said, especially Clovis Avenue to Copper Avenue. Anticipating demand can be a challenge, but maximizing capacity in the early stages means not having to dig up a road again.

“I’d rather do it once rather than continually cut a road, which quite frankly we have done in the past and I think it’s really bad idea,” Bessinger said.

What About Measure S?

The city would need outside dollars to pay for those expansions such as with the proposed Measure S. The half-cent 30-year tax proposal doesn’t allow dollars to be spent on new development, but Bessinger said the city can redirect the city’s existing road repair money upon receipt of the tax measure’s funding, he said.

As for paying for future water and sewer costs, the city has other options, said the city’s supervising engineer, Sean Smith.

“There have been other financing options that have become available for public infrastructure over the past years that the city will also consider,” Smith told GV Wire.

Diversifying Tax Revenue

Development in Heritage Grove goes beyond housing. The specific environmental document being circulated calls for 864,090 square feet of retail space and 584,650 of commercial office space, with one 150-room hotel and several parks throughout the area.

Major big-box retailers are in negotiations to come to the area, Bessinger said. Near Clovis Community College, a developer has plans for a walkable commercial district similar to Santana Row in San Jose.

Along Willow Avenue, Clovis already has Target and Trader Joe’s bringing in sales tax revenue.

On the Fresno side, near The Row apartments, the Willow and Shepherd avenue shopping complex has built an attraction of its own, notably Saizon. Caddy-corner, on the Clovis side, The Avenue has more recently begun making a name for itself as the first commercial developments closest to Heritage Grove.

There, Willow Osteria shines as the major draw.

Bessinger said property taxes from suburban growth alone aren’t enough to cover expenses. Having both retail and housing diversifies municipal revenue.

“We need to have the commercial to bring in the property and sales tax from that so that we can pay for the services,” Bessinger said.

Realities of Northeast Expansion

Building out near where Clovis Unified wants to purchase property will take decades.

The city anticipates growth in the area, but there are still many factors before that happens, said city planner McKencie Perez. The city’s general plan will likely finish its update at the end of 2027.

“While growth is anticipated, the timing of development in any particular area depends on several factors, including property owner interest, development proposals, the availability and extension of infrastructure and city services, annexation, and completion of the applicable planning and environmental review processes,” Perez told GV Wire.

The city would need to annex that area and Bessinger said that requires property owner interest. He cautioned that the city must guard against overextending itself.

“We can’t bite off more than we can chew. We need to focus on our northward Heritage Grove and also finishing up Loma Vista,” Bessinger said.