Gas station, health center planned next to Clovis Rec Center

Construction beside the Clovis Recreation Center is bringing a Street Corner Urban Market gas station and convenience store, along with a United Health Center clinic, to the northeast corner of Clovis and Dakota avenues. The project is not tied to youth sports or other activities at the rec center itself, even though the site sits next to one of Clovis’ most visible civic properties.

The location helps explain why so many neighbors assumed the lot might be used for recreation. City of Clovis Recreation operates the Clovis Recreation Center at 3495 Clovis Ave., a place families already use for daily programs and gatherings. What is going up next door is a retail and medical development that will add fuel pumps, customer traffic and parking pressure to a corner that already sees steady use.

The health center is part of United Health Centers of the San Joaquin Valley, which says it serves more than 50 communities across California’s Central Valley. The organization also says it receives HHS funding and has federal PHS deemed status for certain claims, placing the medical piece of the project inside a larger regional care network.

The corner has drawn concern before. In 2022, more than ten residents raised objections about traffic and loitering at a Clovis and Dakota project, and the Clovis Planning Commission moved forward a convenience store with a liquor license and drive-thru at that site. That earlier fight also involved the city’s vehicle miles traveled requirements in the General Plan, underscoring how closely residents have watched changes around the intersection.

City planning materials describe Clovis’ approach as thoughtful and orderly growth that preserves neighborhood quality of life. Development review materials say projects are checked for health and safety standards and are expected to help finance the infrastructure improvements needed to support new construction.

For families using the rec center, the shift is clear: the lot will not expand fields, courts or youth programs. It will bring a gas station, a convenience store and a clinic to a prominent corner, turning a space many expected to support recreation into a mix of commercial and health care uses.