City Hall greenlights more funding for $33 million farmworker housing project in southeast Fresno

Some of the state’s most essential and vulnerable workers can expect to see a new housing development in southeast Fresno following a pair of renewed concessions from the city.

City leaders approved a loan and ground lease toward the development of 54 mixed-income homes in southeast Fresno during last month’s city council meeting.  

The Cesar Chavez Apartments housing development in southeast Fresno will be located in the Roosevelt neighborhood on Cesar Chavez Boulevard, between Seventh and Eighth Street. 

“Farmworkers were declared essential workers during the pandemic,” said Fresno City Councilmember Miguel Arias during the April 24 council hearing for the project. “There is definitely a huge need for housing for them, and what better place than on Cesar Chavez Boulevard.”

The development comes after the city issued a request for proposals in March 2023 on a mixed-use, mixed-income housing for either multi-family, workforce or senior tenants; The Cesar Chavez project won out last year.

The city approved the Cesar Chavez housing project 6-0, with Councilmember Nick Richardson absent. The approval grants an extension on the loan, which expired last year. 

The approval granted the project a $5 million, 55-year loan from the city, matching a grant the developer received earlier this year from the United States Department Of Agriculture. The project’s total cost is expected to be about $33 million.

The recent Council approval includes terms to keep the money as long as the developer can fulfill the development’s funding goal by the end of this year. The developer and city plan to apply together for tax credits. 

The approval also includes a ground lease of the city-owned land at a cost of $1 annually to the developers — LA-based Corporation For Better Housing and Integrated Community Development, the same developers behind affordable housing projects along Blackstone Avenue at McKinley and Clinton Avenues. The generous sticker price comes after the city found the project to be of “substantial community benefit.”  

At least 40% of the 54 units in the development will be set aside as affordable housing for 55 years, with their rental price expected to be no more than 75% of the area median income. That would cap the total income for a Fresno County family of four at about $70,500, according to the United States Department Of Housing And Urban Development. 

Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer also supports the project, citing the city’s affordable housing crisis. 

“We need housing in a number of areas, but certainly in the affordable housing arena,” Dyer said at the hearing.

Fresno County is short a little over 35,000 affordable housing units, according to the California Housing Partnership’s 2025 Housing Needs Report for Fresno County.

The California Department Of Housing And Community Development identifies farmworkers as a disadvantaged group prone to poverty due to their lower-than-average income and limited access to affordable, quality housing. 

CalHCD also highlights the volatile nature of these workers’ income. Workers can see stretches of time where their income is substantially less than usual, since aspects of farm work can be seasonal.

Daniel Hartwig, President of the California Fresh Fruits Association, said he’s happy to see this level of investment going toward farm workers, especially as housing grows harder to find for residents of all income levels. 

“Just as there is a shortage of affordable housing for many families looking to live in the Fresno region, farmworkers are facing that same challenge,” Hartwig told Fresnoland in a statement over email. 

“After spending the day working hard, it would be great for the residents to have many options to relax and recharge or a space for families to commune.”

Freshman councilmember Brandon Vang, who oversees the district where the project will be built, said he supported the project during the council hearing.  Echoing the mayor’s comments during the hearing, Vang said he “strongly supports efforts to bring more affordable and mixed-income housing to our communities.”

“Projects like the Cesar Chavez Apartments are an important step toward ensuring that all residents, especially working families and farmworkers, have access to safe, stable, and affordable places to live,” Vang said in an emailed statement. 

“In addition to addressing urgent housing needs, this project brings much needed investment to an area that is too often overlooked, helping to support local businesses and expand economic opportunities for our residents.”

Manuel Cunha Jr., President of the Nisei Farmers League, said he sees the project’s support as a win for the farm workers community. Cunha Jr. said that many farmers will not provide housing on their farmland for multiple reasons, including liability issues. The decision tends to drive farmers away from their workplace, and their community. 

“Farm workers need to have the amenities that are necessary to live,” Cunha Jr. said. “Access to laundry…local markets. They also deserve to have a local fire department, a police department, have access to healthcare. All of those things are important…I believe that is what farm workers deserve.”

So long as the project fulfills its funding deadline, the development is expected to be completed by mid-2027.