Fresno has a great need for affordable housing. City leaders need to make it happen
I first heard about the 128 affordable homes proposed on a vacant lot near Shaw and Blackstone when I read an article highlighting neighbors’ concerns about the project. As a Fresno native who graduated from Bullard High School just down the street, I was disheartened to see many familiar comments among those opposing the project, and wanted to provide an alternative perspective.
Fresno is facing an unprecedented housing shortage, causing rents and homelessness to spike. According to The Bee, average rents have increased over 35% over the past four years, the highest increase in the country. And between 2019 and 2020, the number of homeless individuals increased by over 1,000 within Fresno’s city limits alone. The combined impacts of rent increases, COVID-19 and subsequent job losses have resulted in a crisis for renters, forcing many to choose between their rent, food, or health care. Building safe, affordable homes is one of the best ways to reduce displacement pressure, improve quality of life and health outcomes for low-income residents, and jump-start economic growth.
Where we build also matters. Getting residents out of their cars and onto buses and bikes is essential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving air quality, and reducing traffic congestion. This project is ideally positioned to achieve these goals, as it has two major bus stops within walking distance. The 9 bus stop, located directly out front, will enable residents to get to Fresno State in 10 minutes. And just steps away, at the corner of Blackstone and Shaw, the new Bus Rapid Transit stop will enable residents to get to jobs and appointments downtown in about 20 minutes. Finally, the project may also provide transit passes to its residents. In a city where 80% of the population commutes alone by car, having the option to take free, reliable transit is a massive improvement. We should maximize this opportunity.
When it comes to affordable homes, it’s also essential that high-resource neighborhoods build their fair share. The adjacent Fig Garden neighborhood has a six-figure average household income, and is entirely zoned for single family homes. While many neighbors who oppose this particular affordable housing project claim that they support affordable housing in concept, it’s important to recognize that this opposition, multiplied across every high-resource neighborhood, and enforced through exclusionary zoning, has resulted in the extreme home shortage, segregation, cost of living, and homelessness crises that the entire state faces.
Every concern about building height, building location, or building-induced traffic, while ignoring the endless sprawl and farmland loss, exacerbates these crises. To counter the impact of historical housing policies, we need to make sure that new affordable homes are built in all neighborhoods, not just low-income communities and communities of color.
Instead of immediately opposing the project, I hope that the neighboring community can take a “yes, and...” approach, and work with the developer to tackle their traffic, noise, and light concerns while preserving the original number of affordable homes. For example, a barrier placed on Glenn Avenue at the south end of the site would prevent traffic from cutting through, improving pedestrian safety for the entire neighborhood. Other features such as EV charging stations, bicycle parking, and ample vegetation could make the site more sustainable and attractive.
I urge the Fresno City Council to support this project, and all affordable housing projects located close to public transit, to ensure that all Fresnans can provide their families with a safe and healthy place to live. And I hope that, through community engagement, these homes can serve as a model for transit-oriented development in my hometown.