1. Volume 1, Issue 1 PLANNING TOMORROWS NEWSLETTER
Community Development
Department
City of Hanford
• Building
• Code Enforcement
• CDBG/Housing
• Economic/Planning
Code
Enforcement
2,4
Home Program 2
Property Mgt. 3
CDBG
“Coe Park”
3
Planning
Commission
5
Building Updates 3,4,5
Downtown East 4, 5
Inside this issue:
Community Development: Moving
Forward and Making Changes
December 2012
Hanford’s Response to High Speed Rail
Season Greetings!
On July 20, 2012 the California High Speed Rail Authority (HSRA) and the Fed-
eral Railroad Administration (FRA) released the Revised Draft Environmental Im-
pact Report (RDEIR) for the Fresno to Bakersfield section of the California High-
Speed Train (HST) Project. City Council approved the letter prepared by staff
detailing the negative impacts towards any proposed HSR alignment in Han-
ford. This response letter was submitted to the HSRA on October 19, 2012. The
response letter can be viewed on the city’s website at: www.ci.hanford.ca.us.
By: Melody N. Haigh
Community Development Manager
Community
Development
Divisions
The Community Development Department
(CDD) has gone through major changes this past
year. The elimination of redevelopment funds
and a reduction in federal grants has created
challenges for the City. The question is: How can
we do more with less? In order to be more effi-
cient, without sacrificing effectiveness, this de-
partment is committed to finding new ways to
tackle each project, task, and/or funding oppor-
tunities within its four divisions, while providing ex-
cellent public service.
Part of its development of new goals and strate-
gies is to improve public interaction and to build teamwork efforts within city
departments and surrounding agencies. One of the strategies the CDD is cur-
rently working on is updating the Code Enforcement Policies and Procedures
Manual, CEQA procedures, and Subdivision Ordinance. In addition, the CDD
would like to continue working with State Universities for internships. Thus far,
the City of Hanford has worked with interns from San Francisco State University
and Cal Poly State University during their summer breaks. By using our re-
sources and interacting with the surrounding agencies (i.e. Kings Economic
Development Corporation, Main Street Hanford, Chamber of Commerce, and
the Visitor’s Agency), the CDD will create a more cohesive team that will result
in better economic growth and sustainability.
By: Melody N. Haigh— Community Development Manager

2. Code Enforcement tends to be a surprise to people living and working in the City
of Hanford because they do not realize that some of their activities may violate
Code provisions. For example, a resident may be unaware that placing a vehicle
canopy in the front driveway is not allowed, or a business owner may not realize
that the Code prohibits banners as advertising signs. The best method of enforce-
ment is to inform the public about the standards that govern Hanford’s neighbor-
hoods and to correct the violation. People generally understand the need for
safety, health, and welfare regulations. Remember code regulations work to en-
hance private property, reduce visual clutter, create successful neighborhoods,
and business districts.
Remove to Refresh
The Code Enforcement Program
Home ForThe Holidays
PAGE 2 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
Municipal Code requires that an
abandoned, wrecked, disman-
tled or inoperable vehicle on
private or public property is de-
clared to constitute as a public
nuisance. To report an aban-
doned/inoperable vehicle,
please call (559)585-2581. In re-
turn, you'll be helping your com-
munity by creating a cleaner,
safer and more beautiful
neighborhood to live in.
By: Gavino Barrera
Code Enforcement Officer
The City encourages voluntary compliance by providing sufficient noticing and information, in
complying with the Municipal Code along with other applicable laws and requirements. The
City believes that voluntary compliance is the preferred method in initiating compliance. With
cooperation and support the public will result in a respectful and satisfactory relationship be-
tween the City and the community For further information, please visit our website at
www.ci.hanford.ca.us.
Do you have an inoperable vehicle on
your property that you've been trying to
get rid of but can't because you lost the
paperwork, or it's too expensive to fix? Is
there an inoperable vehicle in your
neighborhood creating an eyesore? We
can help!
As a public service, the City of Hanford
Code Enforcement Department can
arrange to have the vehicle removed
from your property absolutely FREE of
charge.
Section 10.68.010 of the City of Hanford
Many individuals have a hard time in obtaining homeownership due to lack of funds, down payment,
and/or closing cost issues. The City of Hanford can help. Applications are now being accepted for the
City’s HOME Sweet Home Program. Through this program, deferred payment loans are offered to qualify-
ing first-time homebuyers for down payment and/or closing cost assistance. Individuals applying for this
program must qualify as a low-income household and must purchase within the Hanford city limits. The
program’s goal is to lower the family’s housing cost to their affordability range. Loans up to $75,000 per
household are offered in an effort to create affordability. The City has been successfully administering a
first time homebuyers program since 1994 and uses HOME, CalHome and CDBG Entitlement dollars to fund
this program. To date, 225 persons have been assisted with homeownership opportunities in Hanford.
By: Ruth Belmonte - Code Enforcement Officer
By: Lori Saldaña- Housing SpecialistTo learn more contact Lori Saldaña or Sandra Lerma-Martinez . Si habla español.
Abandoned Vehicle
Abatement Program
(AVA)

3. ness clubs, and even the Goodwill.
To date, there have been some pos-
sibilities for a courthouse suite, a ki-
osk, and the vacant train station
suite. Contact Lori Saldaña at (559)
585-2587 for additional information
or to be placed on an interest list.
Visit our City’s website for availability.
By: Lori Saldaña—Housing Specialist
Are you interested in renting
suites from the city? There is still
availability in the courthouse
square and kiosk. In addition,
there are lease opportunities
such as the “Old Serpa Building”
on Lacey Blvd, which has been
quite a buzz in past few months
as interest from churches, to fit-
Solar Future:“So Bright We Need Sunglasses”
CDBG Funds:“Coe Park Splashpad”
Property Management
PAGE 3COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENTVOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
Everyone is talking about clean renewable energy. The citizens of Hanford are sure doing their share, and
then some. This fiscal year, starting July 01, 2012, we have issued 58 residential photovoltaic permits totaling
371.47 kW thru Oct. 23, 2012. In this four month period, we have issued more PV permits than any other en-
tire fiscal year. Solar contractors see no slowing down and are looking for good qualified help.
On the commercial side, we have seen several projects in the past few years. From a department store to
an agricultural business to a church, the power of the sun is being used to control and lower the cost of
electrical bills. At the present time, we are installing our largest PV system built in Hanford. The location is on
Houston Ave at our city waste treatment plant. The total power output of 998 kW is more than all previous
commercial installations totaled. I’m sure Hanford will continue to lead California in the future of alterna-
tive energy with many more projects. Keep up the good work Hanford!
By: Robert Sutton—Building Inspector
Children will have a new way to cool off this spring with
the installation of a new splashpad. A splash pad is a
concrete slab with various components that spray water
in different directions, but has no standing water. Some
nozzles spray water upward, while other features shower
water downward or in an arc, either running continuously
or activated by sensors. The water is recycled and
treated just like swimming pools.
The Coe Park Splashpad will feature 9 water sprays, in-
cluding a ground geyser, water tunnels, aquallen flowers,
jet streams, and several flowers. The splashpad is touch-
activated, and water turns off after a designated period
of time. The Coe Park Splashpad will operate from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily in the spring and from 8 a.m. to
9:30 p.m. during the hot summer months. Funding for the Coe Park Splashpad was provided by Commu-
nity Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds and Park Impact Fee funds. The Parks and Recreation De-
partment will complete its newest attraction in the spring of 2013. A ribbon cutting will be held in May 2013.
Please make sure to join us! Coe Park is located at 543 South Douty St.
By: Sandra Lerma-Martinez—Housing Specialist

4. community, educating, and in-
volving the citizens of Hanford in
this process. We will be having
informational meetings, door to
door surveys, and a booth at the
Farmers Market. In addition, we
will be helping property owners
understand why it is important to
keep their property clean and
presentable. Code Enforce-
ment Officers will be enforcing
all elements of city ordinances
established by City Council.
By: Tom Webb-Building Official
As time goes on, everything
changes especially with regards
to Code Enforcement. Han-
ford’s City Council has directed
staff to update the Code En-
forcement Policies and Proce-
dures Manual. We are in the
process of recruiting help from a
consultant that is versed in effec-
tive code enforcement through
programs, community efforts,
time management, prioritization
and cost recovery. We are look-
ing at new ways to engage the
In the early morning hours of July
9 2012, the Vendome Hotel at
the southeast corner of Eighth St.
and Irwin, burned beyond re-
pair. The City of Hanford Fire
Department along with help
from the Kings County and City
of Lemoore Fire Departments
were able to contain the fire to
the one downtown building with
no damage to any other struc-
tures in the area. The Hanford
Water Department was able to
supply approximately 1.9 million
gallons of water to fight the
fire. While the suppression was in
progress, the Hanford Police De-
partment and Public Works De-
partment was busy securing the
area by installing road barrier
devices and traffic control.
When the fire was finally out, the
work was still in progress as Pub-
lic Works was still maintaining
barriers, directing the used water
into flood control basins and
cleaning the streets of debris. As
the fire suppression teams
moved out, the fire investigation
team and Building Division
moved in. The building and sur-
rounding area was secured with
fencing, inspected for structural
safety and deemed to be un-
safe to occupy. The streets re-
mained closed because of a
falling hazard. The roof structure
that held the building together
at the top was completely gone
and there was a possibility of the
walls falling at any time.
The owner of the building, Sid
Sharp, was very cooperative
throughout the entire project,
obtaining the proper permits
and contractors to safely re-
move the building as quickly as
possible. As soon as the falling
hazard was mitigated, the
streets were opened again and
traffic in the downtown area be-
gan to flow as usual. The build-
ing owner is still in the process of
deciding what to do with this
vacant piece of property.
By: Tom Webb-Building Official
A Face Lift for Code Enforcement
Historic
Building Burns
PAGE 4 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
We welcome Frank Rocha as our newest team member in
the Building Division. Frank was hired as a building inspec-
tor on September 10, 2012. Frank came to the Commu-
nity Development Department with several years of ex-
perience within the construction industry as a contractor
and building inspector. Frank is a certified building inspec-
tor through ICC with an electrical certification. In addition
to his many qualifications, Frank is a certified ADA special-
ist through the state of California.
By: Kris McRae - Permit Specialist
Welcome Frank! Downtown East
Precise Plan
The City of Hanford received a grant through
“Smart Valley Places” for $200,000 to use to-
wards the Downtown East Precise Plan
(DEPP). Quad Knopf & Zumwalt-Hansen are
the consultants working on the plan. So far,
the city has provided workshops and meet-
ings to get public input. (cont. on pg. 5)

5. The number of single family
dwellings (SFD) coming through
the City of Hanford has been on
a roller coaster ride in recent
years. This year from January 1,
2012 October 22, 2012 the num-
ber of applica-
tions for SFD was
88 that have
been issued.
Compared to
last year in the
same time pe-
riod SFD that
were issued were
40, 48 less then
this year. In 2010
in the same time
period the City
issued 75 permits
for SFD, still less then 2012. We are
still far short of the boom period
that took place in the 2000s’.
There are five tracs’ currently
available in the City: Copper Val-
ley, Independ-
ence, Sedona
Estates, Mountain
View and Le Parc.
There are 3 trac
home builders
that are currently
active in the City:
McMillin Homes:
McMilin for the
year of 2012 from
January to De-
cember estimates
that they will close escrow on 39
homes. So far, McMillin has no
more lots.
Wathen Castanos: for the year of
2012 from January to December
will close on 18 homes, however
Wathen Castanos has 80 lots cur-
rently available and projects 48
homes will close next year.
Lennar Homes: for the year of
2012 from January to December
will close on 16 homes, they have
55 lots available and anticipate
50 houses will close next year. In
closing it appears that for at least
the next year SFD permits should
hold fairly consistent and take us
off of this rollercoaster ride we
have been on.
By: Frank Rocha
Building Inspector
City Council on Decem-
ber 11, 2012 on the Han-
ford Downtown East Pre-
cise Plan including a de-
tailed implementation
program. This has been
a land use plan in the
making for the last 18
After a rather quiet
Spring and Summer, the
Planning Commission
will be looking at some
major projects in the
coming months. First to
hit their agenda is a
joint workshop with the-
months. Future agendas will con-
sider the General Plan update
program, a number of possible
zoning ordinance amendments
and an updated Subdivision Map
ordinance.
By: Edward Haworth
Interim Senior Planner
Residential Projects: “What’s ComingThrough Hanford”
Planning Commission
PAGE 5COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENTVOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
The Community Development Department recently welcomed plan-
ning consultant Ed Haworth to our team. Although Ed is new to Han-
ford, he certainly is not new to the field of planning. Haworth arrived
with a truckload of knowledge and over 40 years of planning experi-
ence under his belt, having served as Planning Director for the cities of
Tustin, Covina, and American Canyon and Interim Planning Director
for several other cities. In addition, he is an experienced grant writer,
planning teacher, and was Economic Development Coordinator for
the City of Healdsburg. Even though his time in Hanford is temporary,
we are fortunate to have the benefit of his knowledge and the pleas-
ure of his personality. Welcome, Ed—we’re glad you’re here!
By: Diana Black—Administrative Support Technician
A New Face in Planning
To date, the DEPP is winding
down on the last workshop, which
will be held on December 11th at
the Civic Auditorium. The pro-
posed plan is tentatively sched-
uled to be adopted by February
2013. All DEPP progress can be
viewed on the website.
By: Melody N. Haigh –CDM
DEPP (Cont. from pg. 4)
ROBERTS RULES OF ORDERS

6. Community Development Manager
Melody N. Haigh
559-585-2583
mhaigh@ci.hanford.ca.us
Interim Senior Planner
Edward Haworth
559-585-2582
ehaworth@ci.hanford.ca.us
Building Official
Tom Webb
559-585-2584
twebb@ci.hanford.ca.us
Building Inspectors
Robert Sutton Frank Rocha
559-585-4795 559-585-2585
rsutton@ci.hanford.ca.us frocha@ci.hanford.ca.us
Code Enforcement Officers
Ruth Belmonte Gavino Barrera
559-585-7167 559-585-2032
rbelmonte@ci.hanford.ca.us gbarrera@ci.hanford.ca.us
Housing Specialists
Lori Saldaña Sandra Lerma
559-585-2587 559-585-4766
lsaldana@ci.hanford.ca.us slerma@ci.hanford.ca.us
Permit Specialist
Kris McRae
559-585-2581
kmcrae@ci.hanford.ca.us
Administrative Support Technician
Diana Black
559-585-2580
dgblack@ci.hanford.ca.us
CITY OF HANFORD
317 N. Douty Street
Hanford , CA 93230
Phone: 559-585-2580
Fax: 559-582-1633
Website: www.ci.hanford.ca.us
BRAIN TEASERS
1. When was the City of Hanford
established?
2. Who was the founder of Hanford?
3. What rock band member was born
and raised in Kings County?
What was the groups name?
4. What restaurant in Hanford was
known for its French/Asian cui-
sine?
The Community Development Department is committed to
providing quality service to the public and to work with citizens
and businesses in the community in a friendly and helpful man-
ner.
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
DEPARTMENT
EMPLOYEE OF THE QUARTER
Congratulations to Lori Saldaña!
Lori has been with the City of Hanford
for 13 years as a Housing Specialist. She
has proven to be an asset to this depart-
ment. Her duties include Community
Development Block Grant (CDBG), Home
Loan Program, Loan Monitoring, and
now Property Management. During
critical need, Lori stepped up and took
over Property Management, an assign-
ment originally from the Administrative
Department. Ms. Saldaña has definitely
demonstrated teamwork and dedication.
Thank you Lori for all your hard work.