City Council Locks In Three-Year Commercial Leases for Downtown Parking Garage Storefronts

The Fresno City Council approved three-year lease agreements for three commercial tenants occupying storefronts in the city-owned Downtown Parking Garage 9 on Van Ness and Merced on December 14, 2023. The leases formalize arrangements for Kocky’s Bar and Grill at 1231 Van Ness, All About Nails & Season Trends at 1241 Van Ness, and the Fresno Arts Council at 1245 Van Ness.

All three tenants had been operating under month-to-month agreements prior to Council action. The city owns seven storefront retail and office spaces in the garage, ranging from 916 to 9,930 square feet. Two additional tenants — Ajua Bail Bonds and Lucky Bail Bonds — remain on month-to-month terms while the General Services Department negotiates new lease agreements.

The material does not state the rental rates, total lease value, or revenue the city will collect from these agreements.

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The Breakdown

• The City Council approved three separate three-year commercial lease agreements for storefronts in city-owned Downtown Parking Garage 9.
• Kocky’s Bar and Grill will occupy Unit A at 1231 Van Ness.
• All About Nails & Season Trends will occupy Unit C at 1241 Van Ness.
• The Fresno Arts Council will occupy Unit E at 1245 Van Ness.
• The city owns seven total storefront spaces in the garage; two other tenants remain on month-to-month agreements pending further negotiation.

What This Means for You

The City Council, which voters elect to manage city assets and approve contracts, decided to formalize these commercial lease agreements rather than continue month-to-month arrangements that either party could terminate on short notice. Voters weighing the Council’s management of city property should note what the city is not disclosing: the material provides no rental rates, no total lease value, and no projected revenue to the city from these agreements.

What to Watch

What is the city actually collecting in rent from these tenants, and how does that figure compare to market rates for comparable downtown commercial space? The Council approved these leases with no public disclosure of the financial terms — not the monthly rent, not the total three-year value, not the rate per square foot.

Why are two bail-bonds businesses occupying city-owned storefronts in a garage? Two of the seven tenants are bail-bonds operations. The material offers no explanation for why that use was approved or whether it aligns with any stated policy for these spaces.

The Fresno Arts Council lease raises a separate question: what rental rate is the Arts Council paying? The material discloses neither the rate nor the basis for it.