The Fresno Bee’s top stories of the day for Wednesday cover food, development and city planning across the Central Valley.
From a wave of new restaurant openings to frustration over neglected Tower District buildings and revisions to Fresno’s massive southeastern growth plan.
Here are Wednesday’s top stories to catch you up
- Eight new restaurants and an international store to take a bite of Central Valley:Several new food spots are opening or have recently opened in and around Fresno, including Rumi Coffee, which had its soft opening July 31 at 7406 N. Fresno St. Owner Hamed Alghazali features recipes from Syrian head baker Anas Hamad. Del Monte Super Market, an international corner store, opened in early August at 4546 E. Tulare Ave., replacing El Dorado Carniceria y Taqueria.
- Tower District’s empty buildings still neglected despite Fresno program. What’s next? A year into the city’s Vacant Business Ordinance pilot program, only one to three of more than 50 evaluated buildings have been cited, prompting the Tower Neighborhood Association to launch the Vibrant Not Vacant campaign. The effort seeks a strengthened program that measures success by actual reactivation rather than secured doors and cut weeds. Councilmember Annalisa Pera plans to bring a revived, more aggressive pilot before the city council by the end of September.
- Public concerns ‘absolutely’ addressed in SEDA revisions, city says. What has changed? Fresno planners say revisions to the Southeast Development Area plan address public concerns about air quality, water capacity and rural property rights. Changes include shifting land use for more housing, creating a consolidated business park south of Jensen, phasing growth and requiring further environmental review. Critics counter that the revisions fall short and that the financial analysis has not been made public for scrutiny.
Original stories by Amber Hair, Joshua Tehee and Liliana Fannin…