Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Fresno, Calif., Aims to Convert Motel to Affordable Student Housing

  • By Matt Jones
  • 01/06/22

The city of Fresno, Calif., recently proposed the conversion of a local motel into a housing facility for students at Fresno City College. On Dec. 9, 2021, the Fresno City Council voted to submit a joint application to Homekey 2.0 for about $13 million in funds to purchase and renovate the San Joaquin Hotel.

According to local news sources, construction could be complete as soon as fall 2022, providing 69 apartments that could provide space for about 300 students. About half the space in the complex would be reserved for students ages 18–24. Student rent would be subsidized at $367 per month, and residents would be required to be enrolled in at least 9 credit hours and have at least a 2.0 GPA.

The project is a result of a partnership among the city of Fresno, developers UPholdings and RH Community Builders, the Fresno Economic Opportunity Commission and Fresno City College to help house students who would otherwise be homeless.

“Why this particular partnership is so groundbreaking and essential for the future is that any person who is living on Parkway, anyone who is living on the street can apply to Fresno City College in the Spring semester and be eligible for this housing—anybody in our community,” said Natalie Chavez, program coordinator for Fresno City Housing Opportunities Promote Education (HOPE).

Should Homekey 2.0 provide the necessary funds, UPholdings would take charge of purchasing and renovating the hotel. The project’s total budget is about $13 million, about $10.5 million of which would be used to purchase the property.

Local news reports that the funding application is on track for submission by the end of January 2022.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • California School District Completes Elementary School Modernization

    The San Diego Unified School District in San Diego, Calif., recently held a ribbon-cutting for a whole-site modernization of Pacific Beach Elementary School, according to local news. The school first opened with one building in 1930 and added six more between 1938 and 1957.

  • Full Sail University Announces First Student Housing Facility

    Full Sail University in Winter Park, Fla., recently announced that development has begun on its first student housing community, according to a news release. The university is partnering with Nvision Development for construction and long-term management of the facility, which will stand five stories and have the capacity for more than 570 beds.

  • Indiana Wesleyan University Schedules Grand Opening for New Welcome Center

    Indiana Wesleyan University recently announced that it will soon open a new Welcome Center on its campus in Marion, Ind., according to a news release. The facility will serve as the home base for prospective students and their families to learn more about the university and student life there. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for February 19.

  • Chartwells Launches Campus Dining Evaluation Framework

    Contract food-service management provider Chartwells Higher Education recently announced the launch of BLUEPRINT, according to a news release. The evaluation framework was designed to provide a data-driven and customizable roadmap towards optimizing campus dining services and, by extension, the student experience.