When experts talk about how manufacturers can best bring their businesses to Fresno, the need for faster approval times is a common thread.

Industrial broker Ethan Smith with Newmark Pearson Commercial on Thursday told a business group that Arizona, Texas, and Nevada need only a year to make things happen.

Thus, Smith said, the question is, “How do we get approval processes in the city of Fresno down to 12 months?”

The timeframe is nowhere close to that now.

Studying how much traffic a project might bring takes at least that long, said Bonique Emerson, former city planner and current vice president of Precision Civil Engineering.

The answer repeatedly brought up? Create designated zones and objective standards in Fresno eliminating the need for discretionary review.

On Thursday, the

See Full Page