Villagio, a masterplanned community in northwest Hanford, will move forward. On Tuesday, the City Council unanimously signed off on the development that could become home for nearly 4,300 people in 10 to 20 years, ratifying a recommendation by the planning commission.

Developed by a partnership between Ennis Homes and St. James Development, Villagio will bring a mixture of houses of all sizes, parks, bike paths, school church and commercial areas on 326 acres that span along 12th Avenue between Fargo and Flint avenues.

Council members gave the project which was planned with smart growth in mind, saying that it will help spur healthier and more ecologically responsible growth.

"It's innovative; I think it's going to be good for the city of Hanford," said Mayor David Ayers. "It will be a mouse trap. It will be a project that would attract people to this area, which is good to our downtown. I'd like to see this project go forward."

No opposition was expressed during a public hearing, although a concern was raised by the public regarding the project's impact on the city's police and fire response capabilities.

City officials clarified the issue and said the project will pay fees for increased needs for police and fire protection, although the issue was not covered in detail by the environmental impact report.

Historically, Hanford has a policy of hiring an additional officer for every 1,000 people increase in the city population, said Councilman Dan Chin.

As proposed, Villagio features 1,428 homes, 12 acres of commercial space, swaths of open land. The project involves several different types of housing developments, ranging from a gated, luxury community to mid-price homes as well as more affordable townhomes and apartments. Plans call for bike paths that are out of the driveway. A parcel at the corner of Fargo and 12th is expcted to be the shopping center.

Enthusiam runs high for the unique plan, but Villagio is still in a conceptual stage. For the builders to start construction, they must bring back subdivision plans to the Planning Commission piece by piece. A full development of the project might take up to 20 years, developers said.

(Jan. 9, 2009)