Nonprofit sees bright future for troubled Granite Park

Two businessmen want to turn Granite Park into a place with lots of games and no risk to City Hall.

In other words, the seemingly impossible dream is here again for the controversial 20 acres of city-owned land in east-central Fresno.

Terance Frazier and TJ Cox are pitching a plan that calls for about $2.7 million of improvements to Granite Park, located on Cedar Avenue about a mile south of Fresno State.

The value of the improvements would serve as rent for the length of the 25-year lease. The deal would be with the Central Valley Community Sports Foundation, a nonprofit whose board includes Frazier (chairman) and Cox.

Baseball fields, volleyball courts, jogging paths and other improvements would come. There would be leagues and programs throughout the year.

The city would make a modest annual investment, but would retain ownership of the land and facilities while shouldering no debt. The city would co-sign no loans.

Perhaps most important of all, Fresno would get new green space in an area short of parks and City Hall would be rid of a long-standing political headache.

“It’s a very good deal for the city,” Mayor Ashley Swearengin said.

Said Council Member Paul Caprioglio, who represents the area: “I don’t like the deal. I love it.”

Added Council Member Lee Brand, who vetted the deal’s finances: “It’s darn solid.”

City and project officials are scheduled to hold a news conference at noon Thursday at Granite Park to announce details. The contract is expected to go to the City Council on Sept. 24.

Teeth grind at City Hall whenever “Granite Park” is mentioned.

A developer had an idea some 15 years ago to turn a former dairy farm into a two-part project capable of attracting regional attention.

One part would be sports — baseball, softball, soccer. The other part would be commercial — restaurants, nightclubs, retail. The two sides would boost each other.

One thing led to another, and City Hall about 10 years ago cosigned on the developer’s $5 million bank loan for the project’s sports area. The developer went belly up. City Hall repaid the loan just as it was trying to stay solvent. The city ended up with the land and has spent a decade listening to one idea after another for the approximately 20 acres.

Nothing really pushed City Hall’s button until the Frazier-Cox proposal, months in the making, arrived in finished form.

The proposal, in keeping with the Granite Park legacy, isn’t simple. But Swearengin pushes hard on two points to prove its value to the public.

First, the $2.7 million investment into what has become a deteriorating asset involves no public funds. Swearingen and Brand said Frazier and Cox will personally guarantee any loans for the project.

Second, the city’s annual spending on the project is pretty much a wash when compared to what it costs now to maintain the site.

The deal calls for the city to pay the foundation $150,000 a year for 10 years to help with programming, staffing and maintenance. Swearengin said the city now spends $104,000 a year just to keep the site one step ahead of blight.

What would happen if the city were to do the tenant improvements itself? Swearengin said just the landscaping costs of a reborn Granite Park would be $180,000 a year. Then there would be the debt service on all that borrowed money, she said.

The Frazier-Cox proposal, Swearengin said, “is pretty much a no-brainer for Fresno.”

Frazier, founder of Central Cal Baseball Academy, has followed the birth and demise of Granite Park. He plans to bring the existing three ballfields back to life and will introduce a slew of new features for the old and young alike, but with the needs of underprivileged children in mind.

“I’ve been struggling, trying to find fields for underprivileged, underserved kids,” Frazier said. “A lot of schools don’t allow you to play on their fields. A lot of parks are closed. This is a way to equal the playing fields for kids who can’t afford to play. Now we’ll have somewhere to play.”

The nearly 20-acre project will include new buildings and sports venues. A groundbreaking is planned for Oct. 23, with construction to begin in January and finishing by summer 2016.

Here are the project details:

▪ The three existing youth fields will be renovated. A fourth, full-sized professional field for older players will be built and include an indoor press box and 150 covered stadium seats.

▪ A metal structure, with no walls, will be built over the existing batting cages where two NCAA-sized basketball courts will be installed. The court can be converted for volleyball use.

▪ A 6,000-square-foot two-story restaurant will be built to the left of the park entrance. The first floor will have a restaurant, an arcade and multi-purpose rooms for after-school activities and programs. The second floor will serve mostly as a bar with a viewing area over the fields.

▪ A television system will allow restaurant and bar patrons to watch any game played on the fields from the building.

▪ Eight sand volleyball courts are planned, with a 3,000-square-foot covering and a snack and drink bar. The beach-themed area could also serve as an outdoor entertainment venue.

The complex will be open to the public when not in use for sports leagues and instructional events. Future plans include an indoor soccer stadium.

Frazier said his hope is for parents to drop their children off for after-school programs that will provide tutoring, food and the opportunity to learn a sport.

It’s about “giving them a safe place to go,” Frazier said.

This story was originally published September 16, 2015 at 5:01 PM with the headline "Nonprofit sees bright future for troubled Granite Park."