Change has been slow to come in Southeast Fresno, where cluttered strip malls mix with a few spots to eat.
Clovis Avenue is pretty much just an artery for motorists to zoom north and south. But the planned Fancher Creek Town Center is a sign of things to come in a forgotten area.
From the weed-infested property will sprout Fresno's first major retail project in well over a decade.
Fresno City Councilman Mike Dages said, "This shopping center will rival River Park."
The Fresno City Council voted 7-0 to approve the project which includes a lake, plenty of places to shop.
Dages added, "A theater which we do not have in southeast Fresno. A lot of office space which we so desperately need and some restaurants other than fast food restaurants."
Developers Ed Kashian and Tom Richards bought the land back in 1999. Despite the tough economy, they're confident this project will get done.
Richards said, "It's somewhat similar to River Park in the sense that it's a regional shopping center however it adds a very major component that's different than River Park. It's going to have a housing component, some 540 residential units above retail."
Richards says the development would create over three-thousand jobs.
Councilman Henry T. Perea said, "These are the types of projects that need to be approved if we're ever going to get people back to work."
Richards wouldn't name specific anchor stores. He would only say they would be major tenants found in major retail centers.
Richards explained, "It will change a lot of future development in the city of Fresno because you're going to see how bringing in state of the art ideas can really benefit a community."
Richards hopes to break ground on the project by the end of the year. The first phase would involve work on housing infrastructure.
