Fresno Housing Breaks Ground on 45 New Affordable Apartments in Northeast Fresno

A $31.4 million construction project broke ground last week at 7521 N. Chestnut Ave., launching Phase II of Avalon Commons and putting northeast Fresno on track to gain 45 additional income-restricted apartments by the second half of 2027.

The expansion completes the full Avalon Commons development, which will reach 105 total units once Phase II finishes. Phase I opened in December 2024 with 60 one-, two- and three-bedroom homes on the same corner of Chestnut and Alluvial Avenues, inside the Clovis Unified School District boundary, giving residents access to some of the region's highest-rated schools.

City of Fresno funding accounts for $4.2 million of the Phase II budget, split between $3 million from the city's local housing trust fund and $1.2 million in additional municipal resources. The remaining financing draws from multiple layers of public and private capital: the California Department of Housing and Community Development, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee, and PNC Bank. Brown Construction is serving as general contractor, with R.L. Davidson Inc. as the project architect.

Fresno Housing CEO Tyrone Roderick Williams framed the ceremony as a pivot point for families in the northeast corridor. "We're not just building housing, we're changing what's possible for families in this community," Williams said.

Mayor Jerry Dyer, who attended the groundbreaking, cast the location as a deliberate equity decision within his One Fresno Housing Strategy. "Collaboration and strong partnerships are essential to addressing Fresno's housing needs, and Avalon Commons Phase II represents a meaningful step forward," Dyer said. "By expanding housing opportunities in Northeast Fresno, we're supporting families today and building long-term stability for generations to come."

Phase I at Avalon Commons already demonstrated how supportive services can be built into affordable housing. Fifteen of its 60 units carry integrated on-site services from the Fresno County Department of Behavioral Health, financed in part by $1.3 million from HCD's No Place Like Home program. Whether comparable service arrangements will extend into Phase II units has not yet been publicly detailed by Fresno Housing.

The site itself has already become a community anchor. District 6 Councilmember Nick Richardson recently used the Phase I community room to hold a neighborhood meeting, and residents have access to a playground, dog park, basketball court, and laundry facilities on the grounds. Phase II construction is expected to run through late 2027, at which point the full 105-unit campus on North Chestnut will stand as one of the few large-scale affordable developments completed in northeast Fresno in recent years.