Move that meeting

Fresno Bee 3/7/07

The environmental impact report on the 45-acre Campus Pointe project proposed for the Fresno State campus is expected to be approved in Long Beach at a two-day meeting beginning Tuesday. Given the controversy surrounding this project, the California State University Board of Trustees should hold the session in Fresno to allow the local community to be heard on the issue.

Unfortunately, the trustees will not change the meeting location, and proponents and opponents will have to travel to CSU headquarters in Long Beach to raise questions in person. At a minimum, a committee of the trustees should schedule a Fresno hearing on Campus Pointe.

Holding the meeting in Fresno would help dispel the feeling by some that CSU officials and Fresno State leaders aren't listening to the entire community on this issue.

Campus Pointe will have 160,000 square feet of retail space, 160,000 square feet of office space, and include a 14-screen theater, a hotel and apartments. Developer Ed Kashian is putting together the project on university land east of the main campus.

The cities of Fresno and Clovis have expressed concerns about Campus Pointe, and the university has been working with local and state transportation officials to allay fears over traffic and related issues. Substantial progress has been made on those issues.

But there also are philosophical questions about the project. Some business owners, especially in nearby Clovis, say Campus Pointe is a taxpayer-subsidized project that will unfairly compete with them. Other critics say the project strays from the university's educational mission.

John D. Welty, the university's president, said in a November commentary in The Bee that the project is an "investment in the educational mission of Fresno State to enhance the university experience for the students who study, work and live on our campus."

Agenda documents filed by CSU system officials in advance of next week's meeting say the project will provide "strategic partnerships" with academic programs, and create affordable housing for students, faculty and staff. It also will help with the repayment of bonds on the adjacent Save Mart Center.

Welty points out that the project is similar to developments being constructed on university campuses around the nation.

The arguments in favor of the project may be valid. But it's too bad a committee of the CSU trustees won't come to Fresno to hear every concern.

It might be inconvenient for trustees and staff to travel, but this decision will have lasting impacts on our community. A local hearing is not an unreasonable request.