City Council Approves Fast-Track Method for Downtown Parking Structure

The Fresno City Council voted May 23, 2024, to use a design-build procurement method for a new parking structure planned for downtown, bounded by H Street, Kern Street, Mono Street, and the Union Pacific Railroad corridor in Council District 3.

The structure is intended to support future residential developments and other downtown attractions, according to a staff report from the Capital Projects Department. The project is funded through state dollars designated for Downtown Fresno Public Infrastructure Improvement Projects.

Staff requested the design-build method, citing the project’s complexity and an accelerated timeline driven by the funding. The method allows the city to hire one entity to handle both design and construction rather than contracting them separately. Staff noted the city previously used the approach for a project at Fresno Yosemite International Airport.

The vote authorized the Capital Projects Director to begin a Request for Qualifications process to select a Progressive Design-Build Entity. The Capital Projects Department completed preliminary bridging documentation that will be incorporated into the qualifications request.

The Breakdown

• The Council approved the use of Fresno Municipal Code Section 4-502(d), the Design-Build Qualifications Method, for the H Street Parking Structure Project.
• The structure will be built in an area bounded by Mono Street, Kern Street, the Union Pacific Railroad, and H Street.
• The project is funded with state money allocated for Downtown Fresno Public Infrastructure Improvement Projects.
• Staff cited the project’s complexity and a tight timeline tied to the funding as reasons for the design-build approach.
• The Capital Projects Director is now authorized to begin requesting qualifications from design-build firms.

What This Means for You

This vote determines how the city will procure a contractor for a parking structure funded with state infrastructure dollars. The council chose a procurement method that bundles design and construction under one contract rather than separating them.

What to Watch

The material does not state how much the parking structure will cost or what the city’s share of the state funding is. Voters should ask for the full project budget, including the amount of state money committed and whether the city is contributing local funds. The staff report says the project has an “accelerated timeline” tied to the funding but does not explain what that deadline is or what happens if the city misses it.

The material does not say how the city will ensure the selected firm delivers a structure that serves the neighborhood rather than just meeting the minimum requirements. Ask who reviewed the bridging documentation the Capital Projects Department completed, and whether the public will see it before the firm is chosen.

Staff says the city used this method successfully at the airport, but the material gives no specifics about that project’s cost, timeline, or outcome — voters should ask what “success” meant there and whether this project faces the same conditions. The structure is meant to support “future residential developments and other downtown attractions,” but the material does not name those developments or say whether they are already approved or funded.