What’s that new construction in Fresno? We have answers for 5 spots
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- A new building next to Al’s Ricos Tacos will replace a storage unit that burned in 2021.
- Kuppa Joy will open at Belmont and Fowler with a small indoor area and a 'Joy Thru'.
- Bank of America will open near Winery Avenue between October and December and replace two.
Ever pass a construction site with big yellow machinery scraping away and wonder, “What’s that’s going to be?”
Us too.
So we did some virtual digging and we have answers for five active construction sites in downtown and southeast Fresno.
Some as them may not be as exciting as you may have hoped. No new-to-town chains, for example. Though there will be new places to get coffee.
What’s being built in Fresno?
Next door to Al’s Ricos Tacos downtown
A new building is in the works at 2950 Ventura Ave., next to the Al’s Ricos Tacos.
It’s not a new a taco stand, but the replacement of a storage building that burned in 2021, according to Sontaya Rose, director of communications for the City of Fresno.
Like the previous building, it will include a walk-in cooler, storage space and an employee restroom, according to the permit application filed with the city. The only new addition is a single electric vehicle charger.
Kings Canyon Road near Maple Avenue
Between the Burger King and the Auto Zone, at Backer Avenue, is a fenced-off construction site, with work in its early stages.
A City of Fresno permit application says it is a proposed “dentist office and future mixed use.”
The property is owned by a company associated with the dentist at Unique Orthodontics. That’s an orthodontics practice with eight locations in the Fresno area, from Tulare to Merced.
The owner was not available for comment before deadline.
Belmont and Fowler avenues
Construction of this new building is nearly finished at the southwest corner of Belmont and Fowler avenues.
The local coffee shop Kuppa Joy plans to open a location there — plus, another yet-to-be named business will be moving in.
First to open will likely be the “Joy Thru,” its version of a drive-thru. Unlike its other Joy Thrus, it will have a small indoor area. But it will still be a “self-order, quick-app type, in-and-out, more on-the-go type of coffee model,” said founder Zack Follett.
Kuppa Joy is expected to open in about three months, said Marty Beal of Beal Developments, which owns and is developing the property.
The building also has an additional space that the landlord had been hoping to fill with a restaurant, originally. Despite negotiations with a couple of eateries, nothing has been finalized yet. It could end up being a nail salon or other business, Beal said.
East Kings Canyon Road near Clovis Avenue
Next door to the former Javier’s restaurant and near the Tractor Supply Co. is another construction site that will soon be a Dutch Bros Coffee.
It will have a drive-thru and a walk-up window.
The popular coffee spot still has several months of work left. It’s aiming for an opening in late summer or early fall.
Asian Village on Ventura Avenue
A building has been under construction in front of the Asian Village shopping center near Winery Avenue for months.
It’s on the site of the former Lao-Thai Restaurant with the wagon wheels out front.
It is scheduled to open between October and December and will have multiple ATMs and be a “more modern, full service branch in a high traffic location.”
It will not have a drive-thru.
The bank will take the place of two other nearby Bank of America locations, which are slated to close, according to media relations executive Colleen Haggerty.
The Sunnyside branch on Kings Canyon Road near Tractor Supply and the East Fresno branch at 4445 E. Tulare St. are both slated to close after the new location opens, she said. Leases at both locations are expiring. Employees will move to the new location.
This story was originally published June 1, 2026 at 10:08 AM.
