What was once a long and empty dirt lot near Tulare and Clovis Avenues has now become a commercial hub for southeast Fresno.
The Fancher Creek Development includes the largest Target in Fresno at 155,000 square feet, a Sprouts grocery store, an In-N-Out Burger, a PetSmart and a few more.
“I am so excited for the dog store because I would have to travel all the way to Clovis to get my dog’s nails cut, and now, I can come here,” said local Laelani Martinez.
Laelani Martinez grew up in a nearby neighborhood and is excited to save on gas and time.
She says driving to the nearest Target added up.
“My drive was maybe, I would say roughly 20 minutes, and now it turned into like 5 minutes.”
Mayor Jerry Dyer says this project, developed by Lance Kashian & Company, has been a long time coming.
“This project is 20 years in the making at least. From the time the property was acquired to discussions and plans, it’s probably been the better part of 2 decades,” said Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer.
A 12-year-old was with his mom and says they are ready to make Fancher Creek their family’s go-to shopping center.
“It’s very nice and we don’t have to drive too far, and it’s really nice over there,” said the boy.
Dyer calls this is an investment the community deserves.
“It’s an area that often times has not had the amenities as other parts of the city, and we’ve had a population explosion in southeast Fresno as well as Sanger.”
Sprouts opened earlier this month and Target opens on Sunday, October 19.
In-N-Out is expected to open in early November and construction is still underway for a few more stores.
Dyer says there are more projects in Southeast Fresno underway.
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