First Residents Move in at Iron Bird Lofts

FRESNO, Calif. From his loft, Segers can see the intersection of Fulton and Divisadero. He's apparently not seeing what others see when they come downtown. "It's funny. I actually heard it was crime ridden and horrible. And coming from Dallas, it's nothing. It seems pretty nice to me," said Segers.

The Iron Bird Lofts is the latest project from Fresno developer Reza Assemi. In the last ten years, he's brought nearly 200 residential units to downtown, including these H Street Lofts just around the corner. "It's the only place that really has an authentic experience. It's about as far from cookie cutter you can get, downtown," said Assemi.

Assemi is already planning his next project, 23 more lofts in an historic building at Broadway and Calaveras. Next week, a family member's company, Granville homes, plans to break ground on another residential project. The city of Fresno says local developers like Assemi, as well as locally owned businesses, will ultimately make downtown flourish. "Anyone that's been downtown and sees the Fulton mall knows we have great infrastructure, and we're looking to build on that," said Huerta.

Prices start at around 900 dollars for a one bedroom at the Iron Bird lofts.