The Fresno City Council on Thursday voted 4-3 to approve a text amendment to the municipal code that aims to fast-track development — with one major change: ministerial approval will no longer be part of the plan.

Councilmember Nelson Esparza suggested the change and made a motion to approve the altered amendment. Councilmember Nick Richardson seconded the motion on the condition that the amendment would still prohibit new housing in office zones within 500 feet of a school — a restriction previously linked to ministerial approval.

Voting in favor were Councilmembers Brandon Vang, Nick Richardson, Nelson Esparza, and Mike Karbassi.

Voting against were Councilmembers Annalisa Perea, Tyler Maxwell, and Miguel Arias.

Before the vote, Arias noted that because the text amendment is being changed, it will have to be reheard.

Karbassi questioned the need to rehear it.

“We’re approving the plan without ministerial. How is it brand new?” he said.

“It’s a material change,” City Attorney Andrew Janz said. “It’s been altered.”

“We’re not adding material. We’re removing material,” Karbassi said.

“It takes away from what was initially introduced,” Janz said.

“This is why people don’t trust government,” Karbassi said.

Before Thursday’s change, Text Amendment No. P24-00794 would have permitted ministerial approval of housing projects in three zone districts, eliminating the need for lengthy discretionary reviews.

The amendment would have allowed ministerial approval for:

— Converting offices into residential units in office zones

— Building new multi-unit housing on vacant land in office zones

— Developing multi-unit housing in residential zones within half a mile of a bus stop

— Adding multi-unit housing in mixed-use zones within the city’s Infill Priority Area

Ministerial approval is an accelerated process that lets projects move forward if they meet all the standards in the development code. These standards include zoning requirements such as use, setbacks, height, landscaping, parking, and façade design. In contrast, discretionary approval involves a subjective decision-making process where the approving authority can impose conditions beyond what is required in the development code.

Esparza said Thursday that while Fresno needs more housing, public input is important in land-use decisions.

“Community engagement is crucial in these processes, and I think an expansion of the ministerial component is a further disincentive for some of these developers to engage the community,” he said.

However, Perea said that removing ministerial approval would delay development. “If we take away the streamline aspect but we keep all those arduous requirements, I do believe that would make housing production a lot slower in our city, which I think is the opposite of what we’re trying to achieve.”