FRESNO, Calif. (KMJ/KFSN) — A groundbreaking ceremony in Downtown Fresno marked the official start of construction on “The Mosaic.”
Located at 1840 Broadway, it’s the latest affordable housing development in the city.
“I think this place will provide something for the workforce, bring more people downtown and make it somewhere they can be proud to live in,” says Estefania Cristobal, the Project Manager for DL Batty.
Developers say the 25-unit studio and one-bedroom apartments will be ready within six months.
The site was once a motel, with a checkered past.
It’s the last one on the block to be transformed.
“A burned-down motel that was an epicenter of drug trafficking and human trafficking to envision something new and different and more sustainable,” explains Fresno City Council member, Miguel Arias.
The $4.7 million project was partially made possible by pandemic-era recovery funds.
Fresno City Mayor, Jerry Dyer says, “I will say, more than $2 million is more than just an investment in these projects. It’s an investment in the families who will raise their children here, and it is an investment in the future and those folks who will live here in this particular area.”
Rent will start between $770 to $950 for a studio and go up from there for the one-bedroom apartments.
The prices are geared towards working individuals who may not qualify for low-income housing, but also may not make enough to live on their own.
“First housing project that is going to target individuals that are 60 to 80% AMI, so that translates to about $35,000 to about $50,000,” explains Michael Duarte, CEO of BOB Chief Real Estate Officer at Fresno Housing.
Applications will open in a few months, when the project is closer to completion.
Duarte continues, “We usually open our interest list for about three weeks, accept applications, which we usually get hundreds of, loterize the project and just go down the list.”
Construction will be done by the end of November, meaning its tenants could be in by the new year.
To learn more about Fresno Housing, click here.
