Darius Assemi with Granville Homes speaks to the Fresno County Board of Supervisors April 25.

The Fresno County Board of Supervisors granted an appeal by developer Darius Assemi of a Planning Commission vote Tuesday, allowing him to split a 33-acre parcel zoned for farming just east of city limits.

Assemi was appealing a Feb. 23 decision by the Fresno County Planning Commission denying a variance to create a 2.62-acre parcel and 30.86-acre parcel from the existing 33-acre parcel located near Highland and Clinton avenues in the county.

Assemi pointed out that the property is located within the City of Fresno sphere of influence, and is also included in the South East Development Area (SEDA), developed nearly 20 years ago to add 45,000 housing units across 9,000 acres.

Despite a lack of water and sewer infrastructure, the area is primed for development. In fact, Clovis Unified recently began construction on the Terry Bradley Educational Center nearby.

In seeking the variance, Assemi said he plans was to farm the 30.86-acre parcel while waiting for development to catch up with the property and eventually build single-family homes once the land becomes part of the City of Fresno.

 

“In the next five years, it will be developed,” Assemi predicted.

Krynn Parham, a nearby property owner, lobbied the supervisors against granting the variance, stating it sets a bad precedent when it comes to preserving farmland.

“We are hounded by Realtors and developers daily to buy our ag properties,” Parham said.

The supervisors voted unanimously to grant the variance, stating that the project’s inclusion in the SEDA area helped meet the grounds for such a decision.

Supervisor Brian Pacheco, addressing Parham, said he sympathized with her concerns but acknowledged that development has already been designated for that section of the county.

“You live where growth is coming,” Pacheco said. “You can slow it down, but you can’t stop it.”