A small-lot housing project was approved Tuesday night by the Clovis City Council, despite opposition from some residents of a nearby large-lot neighborhood.

The 175-home project by The McCaffrey Group is on 18 acres at the southeast corner of Ashlan and Locan avenues.

The project originally was split evenly into two 9-acre projects with 225 apartments on one site and 68 homes on the other.

But a tough real estate market prompted The McCaffrey Group to downsize the project to meet the changing demand.

The developer changed the plan to create an 18-acre project with 197 small-lot homes, but that concept ran into neighborhood opposition.

The developer then returned with a 175-home plan that added a buffer between its project and a larger-lot neighborhood to the east.

Resident Virginia Bushnell said The McCaffrey Group went a long way to "meet our needs."

Resident Dale Drozen opposed the plan, saying the narrower streets would be difficult for fire trucks to navigate, and the higher density would require more park space.

Brent McCaffrey said his firm felt neighbors were largely supportive after the company made changes.

The project will have a homeowners association that will pay to maintain streets and small parks. There also is space in the development for a possible clubhouse and pool.

In recent years, small-lot projects have drawn opposition from residents of neighboring large-lot developments, who have worried about more traffic, crowding in schools and potential effects on home values.

Small-lot homes have become popular in Clovis because they meet local market demand, said Mike Prandini, chief executive of the Building Industry Association of Fresno and Madera Counties.

"It appears the smaller lot, entry-level home from $170,000 to $190,000 is selling the best," Prandini said. "It's meeting what the market can afford."

In other action, the council issued a proclamation to Martin Dominguez, an Allied Waste Services trash truck driver, who returned a bank deposit bag with $1,063 in cash and checks to a Clovis resident while on his route last month.