Proposed affordable housing in northeast Fresno draws opposition
City staff said if the project does not get approved, a third party could buy the motel and create affordable housing.
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A heated community meeting in Northeast Fresno took place Wednesday night about plans to turn another motel into affordable housing.
The Quality Inn on Thesta Street near Bullard Avenue and Highway 41 could soon be converted into a 58-unit affordable housing complex.
The city submitted an application for millions of dollars from the state to fund the project. The funding hasn't been approved yet, but neighbors are speaking up.
"They want to put this project right next to a liquor store and then a cannabis dispensary that's going in. To me it's not logical," said Dr. Varoojan Mirzayan of the Center for Endodontics, a few doors down from the Quality Inn.
The City of Fresno has made creating more affordable housing a top priority. It says the Quality Inn project would address the concerns of the community, and allow for more control of what would be allowed in and around the building.
City staff said if the project does not get approved, a third party could buy the motel and create affordable housing but the community would have no input.
"It's a very well-known and established medical community and putting a residential apartment complex in there just doesn't seem to make sense," said Councilmember Garry Bredefeld.
If the state approves the funding and the Fresno City Council approves the project, construction would begin in August.
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