Parking spaces causing friction between Granite Park, neighboring businesses

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Concern over parking spaces shared between Granite Park and businesses in the area is causing controversy that's turned into an online war of words.

Club One Casino in Central Fresno is sounding the alarm regarding an ongoing issue with its neighbor, Granite Park.

"We became the lead tenants of the private property owners. We were put in the position where we need to enforcing parking agreements and enforcing the safety of the public," said Club One Casino President Kyle Kirkland.

Kirkland says the issue is the lack of communication when the lease holder, Terence Frazier, hosts events that garner thousands of people to the open space.

"We have an ongoing unauthorized use of the parking lot, by the ball fields that we just can't tolerate. Now, we have an agreement, the property owners have an agreement with the city of Fresno to allow for a certain amount of usage of the parking lot. For softball, baseball, what have you, there's 142 spots," said Kirkland.

Central Valley Community Sports Foundation, also known as CVCSF, leases Granite Park from the City of Fresno.

Frazier, the owner of CVCSF, released a now-deleted post on Facebook saying that the City of Fresno, as well as the owner of the parking area, are trying to cripple Granite Park by stripping access to the parking lot for the Sun Kissed Summer Festival happening on Saturday.

Action News reached out to the City of Fresno.

City officials say the parking matter is between CVCSF and Club One owners.

They also shared a letter sent in May to Frazier demanding the payment of more than one point one million dollars in past due rent and utility bills.

This isn't the first time Frazier has been at odds with the city.

In 2022, city officials said Frazier didn't properly secure insurance for the park, which violated the park's lease and made the city liable.

Two years earlier in 2020, Frazier sued city officials for alleged racist treatment after Granite Park was audited, which he says damaged his reputation and cost him millions.

On Wednesday, Frazier took to Facebook to air his frustrations over the use of the parking lot, writing he would 'hire goons' to enforce his leasing agreement, and that the 'gloves were off.'

CVCSF's attorney released a statement, saying, in part

"They were just the late night frustrations/venting of someone who has worked very hard for the last 9 years to run a city park largely with private funds. Every time we try to do anything to get a return on our multi million investment it seems that we run into these sorts of issues."

Yosemite Falls business owner Manuel Perales, who shares the parking lot, has grown frustrated with the lack of communication from CVCSF.

"Everybody just needs to communicate with each other. Why there's difficulty with that, I don't quite understand. I hope we can resolve that," said Perales.

Both attorney's for CVCSF and Club One are in contact to effort an agreement for Saturday's event.

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