Project Overview
The Housing Authority of the City of Fresno (Fresno Housing) was recently awarded a $500,000 Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grant to support a 24-month planning process in the South West Fresno neighborhood. Additional funding and planning support is being provided by the City of Fresno and Fresno Housing.
Learn more about HUD Choice Neighborhood programs here.
The Choice Neighborhoods program leverages significant public and private dollars to support locally driven strategies that address struggling neighborhoods with distressed public housing through a comprehensive approach to neighborhood transformation. It is the intent of Fresno Housing to engage local leaders, residents, and other stakeholders, such as various City departments, Fresno Unified School District, business owners, nonprofits and community organizations, West Fresno faith organizations, and developers, to come together to create and implement a plan that revitalizes not just the public housing sites in the neighborhood, but also addresses the challenges throughout the California Avenue Neighborhood (CAN).
As a result of this planning process, the Transformation Plan will catalyze critical improvements in the neighborhood, including vacant property, housing, businesses, services and schools.
Our planning will focus on three core goals:
Housing
Replace distressed public housing with high-quality mixed-income housing that is well managed and responsive to the needs of CAN and align with existing redevelopment plans and investment priorities.
People
Improve outcomes of residents living within the public housing, specifically around employment and income, health, and children’s education.
Neighborhood
Create the conditions necessary for public and private reinvestment within CAN to offer enhanced amenities and improved assets, expanded transit and mobility options and services, including improved safety, higher performing schools, and commercial activity, that are important to families’ choices about the neighborhood.
Project Area Neighborhood Map
Fresno CAN Choice Neighborhood
Two-Year Planning Process
Brief history of Fresno CAN Neighborhood
Watch this short clip created by Fresno Housing for a short overview of the Fresno California Avenue Neighborhood project area.