Could this empty lot in Fresno become a technology hub? It’s a $15 million plan
A four-acre empty lot in southeast Fresno could become the site of a new technology hub, a development plan to bring thousands of jobs and economic growth opportunities to the area, project partners say.
The hub, called Innovation Village, is designed to be a place for local researchers and companies, with international partners, to develop technologies related to agriculture, healthcare, construction and housing, among other areas.
Additionally, the plans include 130 on-site apartment units for researchers, international partners and students.
Mike Betts, CEO of the Fresno-based manufacturing and distribution enterprise Betts Company, is a local collaborator alongside the Southern California developer Semiconductor Suppliers’ Technology Entrepreneur Parks Inc. (SSTEP).
The developer’s focus is on economic development, intending to attract and help along the entry of foreign technology companies into the American marketplace.
SSTEP has purchased the land for Innovation Village and intends to invest at least $15 million, John Leung, Chief Strategist of SSTEP confirmed to The Bee.
“Our goal is to stimulate the local economy, to generate jobs and workforce training, and at the same time create manufacturing facility and activities to create economic development together,” Leung said.
Betts company has been working with SSTEP for over two years on the plans for Innovation Village.
“It’s a new way of conducting business that we haven’t done here before,” Betts said.
Under the model, local researchers would work directly with a foreign technology firm that is an expert in a specific area to enhance their work. Plus, the hub would act as a technology incubator to help companies coming in to establish their presence and integrate into the local community.
Technology incubators typically make money through equity stakes in startups, program and service fees and sponsorships or grants, though SSTEP said it was not yet ready to share specific business model plans.
The project began with the City of Fresno completing a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, Leung said, a process that took approximately nine months.
That work identified ways the region could achieve economic development opportunities and expansion by bringing in specific kinds of technology to be developed in Fresno, he said.
Project partners are in the midst of finalizing details and gaining approval from the city, Leung said, and hope to break ground at 158 S. Peach Ave. in the first quarter of 2026.
Why Fresno?
In addition to being centrally located in the state, the benefits Fresno brings as a location to Innovation Village is that it has an “ecosystem” that is ready to support and take advantage of what the development will bring to the area, Betts said.
The city, the county, Fresno State and all of the learning institutions, non-profits and businesses in town, and the collaborations among them, are what make up this ecosystem, Betts said.
“We make it one of the most investment-worthy locations anywhere in the United States by far,” he said.
Additionally, the greater Fresno area has a significant population in need of the technologies the Innovation Village plans to develop, Betts said.
One example includes a digitized health care system for residents in rural areas who do not have direct access to health care.
The project’s partners based in Taiwan have experience in this kind of system, Betts said.
Four key focuses for start of Innovation Village
The Innovation Village will begin with four key areas of focus when it first launches, including construction, health, agriculture and bio agriculture technologies. Over time, the project will expand to include more areas of research.
“It will be mutually beneficial,” Leung said. “It is very obvious that the technology that would benefit quite a bit would be the agriculture and the bio tech industry.”
Part of the focus on construction will be dedicated to solutions that make housing more affordable, Betts said.
This includes the way in which the construction for housing is built and the speed it is performed, with long-lasting results that are better for the environment than traditional building materials, Betts said.
This story was originally published September 28, 2025 at 5:30 AM.