Because of new interest in building downtown (after 2 decades of zero growth), the city has decided to rework their zoning code for the area, to take into account urban concepts like street-walls, hidden parking and yes, buildings taller than 2 stories. Previously, builders had to go through mountains of red tape to get approval for urban buildings in a code designed for suburban sprawl.
The public draft of this new form-based code is now available online
http://fresnodowntownplans.com/
There will also be a public “exploration” of it next week.
To kick-off the public review process, the City of Fresno will hold a public workshop to orient property and business owners, residents, and the public with the new draft Code. Click here to see agenda. The meeting will occur at Fresno City Hall, 2600 Fresno Street, Fresno, CA:
City Council Chambers
Monday, June 13
5:00–8:00 pm
Also this week, channel 30 released a video piece about an old building downtown being converted into lofts.
The Mayflower Lofts at Broadway and Tuolumne offer a penthouse view of Downtown Fresno. The building sat vacant for two decades until Jake Kojikian bought it. His team built on top of the three-story building.
While the developer of this loft project is Jake Kojikian, the news piece features a bit with Reza Assemi, the man who really started the residential revolution downtown.
That video can be seen here:
http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/local&id=8184221
In a few days, I’m going to look into all the recent residential development in downtown Fresno.
And on a side note, the Fulton Mall downtown will be hosting the Fresno Chili Festival, June 18th, 11am-7pm.
Details can be found here:
http://www.downtownfresno.org/chile-festival