62 Affordable Homes Coming to West Fresno’s Parkway Drive

Fresno Housing broke ground Wednesday on Davu Village, a 63-unit affordable housing development on Parkway Drive that claims to help people transitioning out of homelessness or at risk of losing their homes by providing “affordable” housing. But is the housing truly affordable, and how many people will the project help?

The project sits on the site of the former Golden State Triage Center and is slated to open in fall 2027. The development combines adaptive reuse of existing structures with new construction. It will include one manager’s unit and onsite services meant to support long-term housing stability, according to Fresno Housing.

“At the core of this project, it’s about creating housing opportunities and providing a foundation of stability,” claims Fresno Housing CEO Tyrone Roderick Williams at the groundbreaking ceremony.

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The project is part of ongoing city and county efforts to revitalize the Parkway Drive corridor, an area that has struggled with crime, blight and homelessness.

Meanwhile, the project itself carries a price tag of over $35 million, resulting in a final cost of over $570,000 per unit. Does the average voter consider this an affordable cost per unit?

Funding sources include over $25 million in federal and state tax credits, along with grants from HUD, and a contribution of $3,858,000 from Fresno City Council.

Project costs include over $3.7 million in land acquisition. Some have raised the question on whether or not this piece of land was worth that price tag. It is unclear who the land was acquired from, although the former Golden State Triage Center was formerly operated by Turning Point of Central California.

Before being committed to permanent “affordable” housing, The center was a 37 bed facility that exclusively helped homeless people by providing shelter for up to 90 days. This means that the facility was able to assist over 150 homeless people per year with shelter, and hundreds more experiencing homelessness with other resources.

The new development, Davu Village, will feature 62 permanent units available to the public. However, Fresno City Council records show only 11 units are dedicated to people earning between 50-80% of the median income. All other 51 units will be available to the public at the fair market rent. And, even those who are low income will still be paying a reduced rent. Who receives the rents? The very developer that was the beneficiary of $35 million.

While services will be available for residents, it is unclear if any widespread homeless intervention services will be provided by the new project.

The Breakdown

• 62 affordable housing units for individuals transitioning out of homelessness or at risk of homelessness
• Located at the former Golden State Triage Center site on Parkway Drive in West Fresno
• Expected to open fall 2027
• Includes onsite services and amenities designed to support long-term housing stability
• Part of broader city and county revitalization efforts for the Parkway Drive corridor
• Carries a $35 million price tag for 62 units, and only 11 are dedicated to low income affordable housing

What This Means for You

The city and county of Fresno are pursuing revitalization of the Parkway Drive corridor through this and other efforts. Sweetheart deals like these affect the entire community. Restricting access to vital services by using a high amount of public funds to help a low amount of residents raises questions over the stewardship of public funds. Is the contribution of almost $4 million by the Fresno City Council to fund this project that helps 11 low income families to pay reduced rent a worthy expenditure? That’s over $363,000 per person. How much does an average house cost?

What to Watch

The sources don’t state what Fresno Housing or the city is actually doing to address the elimination of the Golden State Triage Center that formerly housed 150 people per year, and countless others, nor what happened to the folks that were displaced by this project.

The Davu Village project will house only 11 low income households, and they are not guaranteed to be transitioning out of homelessness or at risk of homelessness— Only that they earned between 50 to 80% of the median income, according to the contracts presented by the Fresno city Council. Conflicting media sources have reported 30 to 80%, but that is not what is reflected in the contract.

Federal regulations, and the program funding that they applied for requires 70% of available unit units to be dedicated to affordable housing, about 44 units. The 11 units that have been dedicated to low income families are only 17% of available units, So the project may not be in compliance.

Meanwhile, the Parkway Drive corridor, has long struggled with crime, blight and homelessness. The Golden State triage center was reportedly closed due to lack of funding. It is interesting that the council found $4 million to fund this replacement project that helps a fraction of what it did before.

Whether this development helps stabilize the corridor or creates other effects won’t be known until years after the fall 2027 opening. If you’d like to get involved, the city council reviews these types of projects regularly at their scheduled meetings.