A look inside Hotel Fresno as people enter a lottery for apartment units

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- After more than five years of work, people could start calling Hotel Fresno home by next month.

Construction at the historic hotel has faced several setbacks, but now more than a thousand people are on the "interest list" with hopes of moving in.

With only 81 units available, everyone on the interest list will be put in a lottery to apply for a place here at Hotel Fresno.

You can still add your name to the list. This will be mixed affordable housing, so rents will range from $500 to market rate, depending on the size.

A construction fence surrounds Hotel Fresno as crews work on the retail spaces that will occupy the bottom two levels of the building.

"Four retail spaces total," said Miguel Arias, Fresno City Council. "And these could be subdivided if folks just want a smaller piece."

Those retail spaces will be filled after people move in.

"Retailers typically want to know who is living here, how many kids versus not, so that could sway what kind of businesses open up," said Arias.

A lot of care has been taken to maintain the historical features of the building, with city, state, and federal-level historical organizations overseeing that task.

A walk-through reveals original marble, crown molding, and floor tiles installed when Hotel Fresno was originally built in 1912, marking the first hotel in the city.

"So we secured the original marble to reinstall under each pedestal just to match up that part," said Arias. "That's the trick about this kind of stuff is you get maybe, if you're lucky, you get one sample of what the original looks like and then you go find the material to match the rest of the pieces are missing."

There was a lot of work to be done after the building had been abandoned for more than 40 years.

Numerous safety improvements had to be made to make the building compliant with modern standards.

"So here's on the ADA accessibility," said Arias. "The doors are all wide so that a wheelchair can come in. Every single unit will be designed to be ADA accessible."

The work has been slow going since it began five years ago, faced with seemingly endless setbacks, including the pandemic halting work, supply chain delays, and increased costs of materials.

On the upper five floors, there is a stark difference between the apartments and the construction zone downstairs. The studio, one, two, and three-bedroom units are complete with modern appliances in the hopes of drawing a mix of people to downtown through affordable housing options -- and creating more growth.

"The idea is to have mixed-income housing in Downtown Fresno that generates a discretionary income for a coffee shop and a retail store to also come alongside," said Arias.

The complex is set to have communal spaces on some residential floors, among other amenities.

That Hotel Fresno sign is the last thing that will be renovated.

They're still deciding whether to keep the original sign or install a new one.

It is expected to be complete by the time residents start moving into the building in November.

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