Hundreds of homes are coming to west Fresno. Here’s why it’s been a long time in the making

Approximately 600 market-rate, single-family homes are slated to be built in west Fresno in the next 10 years after a landmark decision Thursday.

The Fresno City Council voted 6-0 to approve a development agreement between the city and developers Fagundes Bros. Dairy. Councilmember Esmeralda Soria was not present during the vote.

Councilmember Miguel Arias said the project will be the “first major development of single-family market-rate housing” in west Fresno. Planning Manager Will Tacket said at the Oct. 20 Planning Commission meeting that no other plans for residential or commercial buildings have been submitted for that area.

“West Fresno has been asking for years, if not decades, for single-family, market-rate housing,” Arias said.

Single-family housing in West Fresno has been a long time in the making

According to the Fresno Planning Commission, early in 2006, housing tract maps were first approved in what is known as the Oasis MasterPlan Area — the west side of Valentine Avenue south of Highway 180 generally between Whites Bridge and Madison avenues. The tract maps were amended in 2020.

The Fresno Planning Commission had unanimously approved the proposed development agreement between the Merced-based dairy farm and the city of Fresno at the Oct. 20 meeting.

The 10-year agreement — with options to extend the agreement for up to four additional years — consists of developing 599 single-family homes and a two-acre neighborhood park. Under the agreement, the developers will pay contemporary impact fees, including water capacity fees.

As part of the agreement, the two-acre park must be in operation by the time the 200th certificate of occupancy is issued. The developer also agreed to pay Park Facility Impact fees which will be reimbursed, once the park is up and running, according to a draft agreement attached to the City Council’s agenda. The agreement also includes off-site improvements, such as sidewalks to be built.

Ed Dunkel, president of Precision Civil Engineering, speaking on behalf of Fagundes Bros. Dairy told the Planning Commission that the development would likely be completed in less than 10 years, with the first phase of homes completely built about nine months after plan approval.

Some say affordable housing needs to be Fresno’s priority

The city of Fresno and the state of California at large are in need of varied housing, especially affordable housing. In Fresno County, the median price of a single-family home in May 2021 was 22% higher than in May 2020.

Yet, the skyrocketing home prices do not align with the reality for many in west Fresno. According to CalEnviroScreen, 48% of people in the census tract where the housing development will be located are living below twice the federal poverty level (using CalEnviroScreen’s measurement because of California’s high cost of living).

According to Dunkel, the cost of the homes in the Oasis Plan Area will likely start in the high $200,000s.

At the Oct. 20 Planning Commission meeting, Ivanka Saunders, policy advocate for Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability, questioned how the project would benefit Fresnans who need affordable homeownership options.

“The city should hold developers accountable to closing the gap of homeownership by uplifting and coordinating the available programs,” Saunders said at the meeting.

“The original residents of west Fresno deserve the opportunity to be homeowners,” Saunders added, “and it can happen if the city and developers try to be creative and inclusive of the available funding that can assist residents.”

Heather Halsey Martinez, a Fresnoland documenter, contributed to this story. For full notes from the Oct. 20 planning commission visit thefresnoland.com/documenters.

This story was originally published December 2, 2021 at 6:33 PM.