Housing & Development · Fresno County
Fresno County Supervisors Vote Tuesday on Friant Ranch Despite Water Supply Concerns
Fresno County supervisors are scheduled to vote Tuesday on a billion-dollar new town proposal called Friant Ranch, located just south of the community of Friant, aiming to grow to roughly 7,000 residents. The project's water plan relies on storing multiple years' supply in Millerton Lake, but the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation states that rescheduled Class 1 water cannot be carried over through consecutive water years, contradicting the county's assumption. A Fresnoland investigation found the county never formally analyzed the 2016 storage scheme and instead relied on an informal 2022 memo from the developer's own consultant. The county's planning department has a documented history of approving foothill subdivisions whose water systems later failed, including at Mirabella and Shaver Springs. Supervisor Nathan Magsig declined to say whether he would approve the subdivision given the unresolved water questions.