City commits land, $5 million to 54-unit farmworker housing project on Ventura Avenue
Construction started Friday on a 54-unit affordable apartment complex on Ventura Avenue between Seventh and Eighth streets in south Fresno. The city is providing the land and $5 million from the Local Housing Trust Fund. Total project cost is stated at $40 million.
The Ventura Family Apartments are being built by Integrated Community Development, which is leasing the city-owned land for $1 annually for 55 years, with an option to extend to 75 years. The units are targeted to farmworker families earning 30%-60% of the area median income — up to $97,100 in Fresno County, per the California Department of Housing and Community Development.
Mayor Jerry Dyer called the project a response to the city’s affordable housing shortage. District 5 Councilmember Brandon Vang said it represents the first time the city has been involved in providing farmworker housing. The project includes a community center that will be open to non-residents.
Dyer said the city is working on seven new apartment communities totaling 560 units expected to break ground by year’s end. The Ventura project is being built on half the lot; Dyer said a “phase II” on the other half will “more than likely” also be housing. Integrated Community Development expects the community to open by the end of 2027.
The Breakdown
- City contribution: land lease at $1/year for 55 years (extendable to 75 years), plus $5 million from the Local Housing Trust Fund
- Total project cost: $40 million
- Units: 54 affordable apartments
- Target tenants: farmworker families earning 30%-60% of area median income (up to $97,100 in Fresno County)
- Amenities: community center open to the public
- Timeline: construction started Friday, expected completion end of 2027
What This Means for You
This project is the product of decisions made by Mayor Jerry Dyer and the Fresno City Council — specifically, the allocation of $5 million in Local Housing Trust Fund dollars and the terms of the land lease to the developer. Voters evaluating the Dyer administration and the current council now have a data point on how those officials are spending public housing funds: subsidizing new construction for a specific income bracket (30%-60% AMI). The stated target is farmworker families, a population Dyer and Vang both named as underserved.
What to Watch
The city’s $5 million contribution works out to roughly $92,593 per unit in public subsidy. The remaining $35 million comes from sources not detailed in the material.
The mayor said “phase II” on the other half of the lot will “more than likely” also be housing. That phrasing — not a commitment, not a timeline, just “more than likely” — is worth holding him to. If the city is leasing this entire parcel for $1 a year, voters should know whether the second phase actually materializes, and on what terms.
