New building in central Fresno to provide housing and jobs for low-income families

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Old buildings are coming down, and dirt is turning at the corner of McKinley and Blackstone.

Next year, a new development with 88 housing units will welcome families.

"It's been a long time coming, and we are looking forward to over the next year to see the families move in," says Councilmember Esmeralda Soria.

The units are for low-income families, and rent will range from $365 to $1,000. The building is going to indeed have several uses.

"It's going to include an after-school center for our kids that live here, an adult computer lab and homeownership counseling because yes, we want them to be in an affordable place, but we want to propel people to the next level," Soria said. "We don't want them to stay renters their whole life."

It will also have a dental and healthcare clinic open 7 days a week.

Fresno City College nursing students will benefit from this because they can do internships at the facility.

"I think it's a great thing to include the students in this process because we are the ones that are eventually going to be engaging with the population," says nursing student Audrey Vang. "So to have that hands-on experience right at the beginning is going to be an awesome thing."

The construction phase is going to provide 400 jobs in the community.

Besides the new building, the money will also be spent on sidewalks, bike lanes, trails and other infrastructure upgrades in the immediate neighborhood.

"It's going to look beautiful," Soria said. "It's going to revitalize this entire corridor."

The whole cost of this project is about $38 million.