City Council Clears Path to Close Downtown Alley for Catholic Diocese Security Fence

The Fresno City Council approved a resolution in July 2015 to begin vacating a public alley between Tulare and Mariposa Streets, handing control of the 20-foot-wide right-of-way to the Roman Catholic Bishop of Fresno. The Diocese requested the closure to fence off the alley and install two gated vehicle entrances, citing “increasing concerns regarding vandalism and employee safety.”

The alley runs through Block 163 in downtown Fresno, a block the Diocese owns in its entirety. City staff from the Public Works Department recommended the vacation, and city departments plus utility agencies reviewed the proposal and found the right-of-way “unnecessary for present or prospective” public use.

The council’s July 16, 2015 vote set a formal public hearing for August 20, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. to finalize the vacation. The material does not state whether that hearing occurred or what its outcome was.

The Breakdown

• The alley is a 20-foot-wide public right-of-way recorded in Fresno County records in 1887.
• The Roman Catholic Bishop of Fresno owns the entire block the alley runs through and requested the city give up public control of it.
• The stated reason: to fence the alley and add two gated vehicle access points to address vandalism and employee safety concerns.
• City staff and utility agencies determined the alley is not needed for public or prospective use.
• The council approved Resolution of Intention No. 1099-D, the first formal step in the vacation process, and scheduled a public hearing for August 20, 2015.

What This Means for You

When a city council votes to vacate a public right-of-way, it can transfer a public route to a private owner — in this case, a religious institution. The Diocese’s ownership of the entire block means no other property owner would lose access, but the alley itself — a route anyone could once walk or drive — becomes private, fenced, and gated. Whether the stated concerns about vandalism and employee safety were documented, and whether other options were considered before giving up the public right-of-way, are questions this brief staff report does not answer.

What to Watch

The material states the Diocese cited “increasing concerns regarding vandalism and employee safety” but provides no data, incident reports, or police records backing up that claim — no count of vandalism events, no timeline showing an increase, no names or dates. What would settle it: the Diocese’s own incident log, police reports for the block, or a sworn declaration from a named security professional stating the nature and frequency of the problem.

The material also does not state what became of the August 20, 2015 hearing — whether it happened, whether the public showed up, and whether the vacation was finalized. City council minutes and the final resolution, if one exists, would answer that. Finally, the material does not say whether the Diocese paid the city for the alley or received it at no cost. Real estate transfer records and the final vacation resolution would show whether taxpayer-owned land was given away or sold, and for how much.