Friant Ranch Senior City Gets Planning Commission Approval

Fresno County’s Planning Commission unanimously approved the Friant Ranch project, a 1,000-acre, decades-in-the-making senior community on Friant Road below Millerton Dam. Developers estimate it will cost $1.1 billion and take a decade to complete, featuring trails, a ballroom and a large indoor lap pool.

Attorney Jim Moose of Remy Moose Manley, representing the project, said about 20% of his 67 years has been spent litigating Friant Ranch, which has faced repeated legal and community pushback.

Opponents, including the Sierra Club, League of Women Voters and Central Valley Partnership, argue the environmental review is outdated, relying on data from as far back as the mid-1990s and 2009. They cite new developments like a proposed blast mine, updated state water and traffic rules, and Table Mountain Casino’s expanded scale as reasons for a revised analysis.

One concern raised by resident Radley Reep involves wastewater disposal: treated sewage will be held in ponds near the San Joaquin River, potentially seeping into a neighboring conservancy pond with unknown impacts on groundwater. The commission voted 6, 0 to approve despite the concerns.