Hotel Fresno progress, downtown revitalization slowed but not stopped by COVID-19
Floor by floor, wall by wall, window by window, Fresno’s biggest historical eyesore is undergoing a slow but steady transformation.
By this time next year, barring construction delays, Hotel Fresno will be a 79-unit apartment building that adds much-needed housing stock to the slow but steady revitalization of downtown.
The $27 million project (plus a swath of federal tax credits and deferrals) should also send a clear message to the owners of downtown Fresno’s other vacant, decaying edifices.
If Hotel Fresno can be restored to something approaching its past glory, yours can too. Stop squatting on your properties. Either fix them up or sell to someone who will. Become part of the solution for downtown instead of continuing to be a large part of the problem.
The restoration of Hotel Fresno has overcome numerous hurdles, mainly related to financing. COVID-19 is but the latest challenge. Thursday, the Fresno City Council voted to extend the building’s occupancy date until July 31, 2021, due to construction delays.
“The pandemic has forced us to slow construction and take additional precautions for the workers,” Council President Miguel Arias said during a media tour. “But we won’t let COVID derail the completion of this historic project.”
Although not yet visible from the exterior, progress is being made. New electrical and plumbing has been installed throughout the six residential floors, plus all the metal wall framing and some of the drywall. Most of the building’s 350 windows have been replaced, and those that haven’t been are on custom order.
The 79-unit affordable housing complex will consist of 39 one-bedroom apartments, 28 with two bedrooms and 12 with three bedrooms. Monthly rents will depend on the income levels of the persons or families living in them. The range is between $400 to $950 for one bedrooms, $550 to $1,100 for two bedrooms and $600 to $1,300 for three bedrooms, according to Lefeba Gougis, general counsel for property owner APEC International.
The ground floor, including the ornate hotel lobby, is designated for common spaces and light retail — similar to the building’s heyday when Hollywood stars and sports heroes were among the guests.
“Maybe a coffee shop and a sandwich shop, something like that,” Gougis said.
Because of Hotel Fresno’s historic designations, both locally and nationally, all the original floor tiles, murals and decorative moldings must be restored or refurbished to be as close to original as possible. Same goes for the building’s layout and circulation — even the exterior color.
“It will maintain the historic character and be as modern as any new house in Fresno,” Arias said.
After Hotel Fresno is completed, APEC International has the option to build Phase 2: a new four- or five-story building in an adjacent lot that will house 50 more units.
Downtown Fresno can certainly use the additional housing stock. As I reported last September, downtown has fewer than 3,000 residents — less than 1% of the city’s population — despite high occupancy rates and rental prices approaching those found north of Herndon Avenue.
Planners and developers routinely cite housing, as opposed to retail, as what drives revitalization.
“If you look at Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Los Angeles, these are cities whose downtowns have roared back to life,” said Dan Zack, the city’s assistant planning director. “The same can happen here, but that residential population is key.”
Helm Building readies for retail
Built in 1912, Hotel Fresno isn’t the only downtown landmark sprucing up during the pandemic.
At nearby Fulton and Mariposa streets, crews have begun refurbishing ground-floor units of the 106-year-old Helm Building in order to make them ready for retail tenants. A few spaces are already spoken for with a coffee shop, Ethiopian restaurant and cell phone store ready to move in, general manager Charles Atikian said.
In addition, stone masons are restoring the original facade and replacing all 16 decorative columns, many of which were removed during previous remodels.
Vacant since 2015 when wire thieves started a basement fire that blew out the electric transformers, the Helm Building has traditionally housed offices. However, plans have been submitted to the city to convert floors two through 10 into apartments.
“That’s the long-term plan with the Pacific Southwest Building almost complete,” said Atikian, who manages several downtown properties for Beverly Hills-based developer Sevak Khatchadourian.
Progress since Fulton reopened
While some downtown housing projects are progressing during COVID-19, others may hit the pause button.
Construction of The Park, a four-story mixed use building at Fulton and Inyo streets, is scheduled to begin in November following numerous funding-related delays since the project’s 2014 approval.
However, developer Mehmet Noyan said he and partner Terance Frazier “will be assessing the impact of COVID and developing a final timeline for construction and completion” over the next few weeks.
In October, it’ll be three years since Fulton Street reopened to car traffic, an event that was supposed to herald downtown transformation from a place where people drive to work (and drive home at 5 p.m.) to a residential and entertainment destination.
That goal remains a long way off, and the COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t helped. But inside Hotel Fresno, at least, the transformation is under way.
