Nearly 310,000 new affordable apartments were built in the United States over the past five years, with nearly a third delivered in 2024, RentCafe said, calling it \u201can unprecedented surge.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 2024, nearly 14% of all new apartments were income-restricted, an increase of nearly 9% from a decade earlier.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s \u201ca growing emphasis on affordability in new development,\u201d RentCafe real estate writer Florin Petrut wrote in a Jan. 27 article.<\/p>\n
Affordable housing on the rise in Central Valley<\/p>\n
The Central Valley \u201cboasts one of the highest growths in affordable housing in the state,\u201d Petrut said, \u201cwhile more than a third of all new construction is dedicated to income restricted units, surpassing most other California (metropolitan areas).\u201d<\/p>\n
A total of 3,792 affordable apartments were built in the region between 2020 and 2024, according to RentCafe.<\/p>\n
That represents 37.4% of the total number of apartments completed in the Central Valley during that time period: 10,130 units, the RentCafe study found.<\/p>\n
That makes the Central Valley the fourth biggest builder of affordable housing units in California, and 24th nationwide.<\/p>\n
According to RentCafe, the Central Valley recorded a \u201cwhopping\u201d 145% increase in affordable apartment construction compared to previous years.<\/p>\n
A total of 1,545 affordable units were built in the region between 2015 and 2019, the study found.<\/p>\n
Affordable apartments accounted for more than a third of all construction in San Francisco, the Central Valley and the Central Coast, RentCafe said, noting that affordable units in those areas more than doubled after the COVID\u201319 pandemic.<\/p>\n
In contrast, income-restricted units made up one fifth of new builds in other regions, according to the RentCafe study.<\/p>\n
Fresno is one of the least livable metropolitan areas in the United States, according to RentCafe. Photo by Grant Porter via Unsplash How livable in Fresno?<\/p>\n
In January, RentCafe named Fresno as one of the least livable metro areas<\/a> in the United States, due in part to high living costs and low income growth, The Fresno Bee previously reported.<\/p>\n About 26% of Fresno\u2019s population was dealing with \u201csevere housing problems<\/a>,\u201d the Jan. 3 study said.<\/p>\n A study presented to the Fresno City Council in 2025 showed that the area north of Shaw Avenue was the site of most of Fresno\u2019s new multifamily housing<\/a> over a 12-year period, while land next to existing neighborhoods in southwest Fresno saw no new single-famiy home construction.<\/p>\n In recent years, several plans for large apartment projects in downtown Fresno<\/a> have also stalled, The Bee reported.<\/p>\n RentCafe\u2019s Jan. 27 study found that most of the growth in affordable housing across the nation was driven by expanded public funding and policy support.<\/p>\n That national trend is reflected in Fresno, where several affordable housing projects are planned across the city.<\/p>\n Two new affordable housing projects in Fresno recently opened, providing 100 new units of housing.<\/p>\n Blythe Village<\/a>, which opened Feb. 2, offers 67 single-family units in west central Fresno, according to a Facebook post by Fresno Mayor Jerry Dryer.<\/p>\n \u201cBlythe Village is not considered the norm in the housing world,\u201d Dyer said in a video shared via Facebook. \u201cThis is something that is unique, it is something that is out of the box, and from the moment you arrive Blythe Village feels like home.\u201d<\/p>\n He described the gated-access community as \u201ca place where families can feel safe, establish their roots. And a place where kids can create lifelong friends.\u201d<\/p>\n Blythe Village was built in 17 months, and offers covered parking, electric vehicle charging stations, a playground and \u201cfree-standing homes with no shared walls,\u201d Dyer said in the video.<\/p>\n The development offers two floor plans<\/a>, each with three bedrooms and two bathrooms, its website.<\/p>\n \u201cBlythe Village is a community that reflects a dignity, privacy, and quality of life that every single family in our community deserves,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd that is what inclusivity looks like in our community. And this is how we keep families from Fresno in Fresno.\u201d<\/p>\n Fresno motel converted into affordable apartments<\/p>\n Fresno celebrated the opening of the City Studios affordable housing project<\/a> on Feb. 3 after some slight construction delays due to supply chain issues and PG&E energization, Dyer said in an Instagram post.<\/p>\n The project converted the former Travelodge motel at 3876 North Blackstone Ave. into 33 units of affordable housing<\/a> for those at risk of becoming unhoused or experiencing homelessness, according to a Jan. 29 Facebook post by Fresno Councilmember Miguel Arias.<\/p>\n City Studios has studio apartments and one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments for families.<\/p>\n The city invested $4.7 million into the project and worked with faith-based nonprofit organization Fresno Rescue Mission<\/a> to provide housing for youth in foster care, according to Dyer\u2019s post.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat was once a deteriorated motel has now been transformed into a place where families will proudly call home,\u201d Dyer said in the post showing the ribbon cutting ceremony for the community. \u201cQuite frankly this was drug-infested, infested with human trafficking, and to be able to see what\u2019s been transformed into is something that is absolutely remarkable.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis is what it looks like when we invest in people and build a city where everyone, regardless of race or age, has a place to call home,\u201d Dyer said.<\/p>\n Fresno\u2019s city council recently approved a $10.5 million contribution<\/a> and the lease of three city-owned properties to develop affordable housing, The Bee previously reported.<\/p>\n The project, Parkview Apartments<\/a>, was proposed by the Cesar Chavez Foundation and aims to add up to 98 new homes along the Parkway Drive Corridor, The Bee reported.<\/p>\n The site currently features a vacant lot and two motels \u2014 the Travel Inn and Villa Motel \u2014 that were turned into homeless shelters. They would be converted into rental housing for households that earn up to 80% of the area\u2019s median income, The Bee reported.<\/p>\n The city bought the motels during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide temporary shelter, with plans to turn them into permanent affordable housing within five or six years, The Bee reported.<\/p>\n \u201cParkview will provide high quality, service-enhanced housing for low-income households, including families and individuals experiencing homelessness, with 48 units supported by project-based vouchers,\u201d Cesar Chavez Foundation spokesperson Marc Grossman told The Bee via email.<\/p>\n The project will offer 52 studio apartments, 44 one-bedroom units, and two two-bedroom manager units across two separate sites, Grossman said, with on-site support services including case management, life skills training, employment and educational assistance, health and wellness programs.<\/p>\n According to the city, approval and construction of Parkview Apartments is dependent on whether the Cesar Chavez Foundation obtains full funding for the project by the end of the year.<\/p>\n Fresno City Council member Miguel Arias, who represents the district where the project is located, said in a Jan. 29 post on Facebook<\/a> that the Cesar Chavez Foundation will apply for funding from the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee<\/a>.<\/p>\n Affordable housing projects like this \u201ctypically require at least five funding sources, which makes assembling all the sources very difficult, especially on a tight deadline,\u201d Grossman said. \u201cTax credits are extremely competitive, so it is commonplace for a project not to be awarded on the first try. Construction costs keep rising, potentially making the project infeasible, particularly as more time passes.\u201d<\/p>\n Operational costs such as staff, insurance, mortgage, utilities and repairs also increase over time, he said.<\/p>\n Fresno is also looking for developers to build 25 tiny homes<\/a> on one acre of church-owned land for seniors facing housing insecurity, The Bee reported.<\/p>\n The Westside Church of God agreed to lease one acre<\/a> of its four-acre property to the Southwest Fresno Development Corporation for affordable cottages \u201cin an area of the city with a deep history of redlining and segregation that has lagged in development,\u201d The Bee reported.<\/p>\n The homes would aim to serve residents who were recently homeless, with eligibility limited to households with an average income at or below 30% of the area\u2019s median income, The Bee reported. The units would be income-restricted for 30 years.<\/p>\n Once the city chooses a developer, it would fund construction through Community Project funding awarded in 2022. The developer would own and operate the homes.<\/p>\n Loading\u2026<\/p>\n Related Stories from Fresno Bee<\/p>\n The foundation for a modern apartment building is being constructed behind the historic Craycroft Home which will be restored to its original state by local developer Reza Assemi over the next year or so. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com Where are new housing projects in Fresno?<\/p>\n
The Fresno City Council approved a $10.5 million contribution and three city-owned properties to the Cesar Chavez Foundation for the development of affordable housing. GOOGLE MAPS Where could affordable apartments be built in Fresno?<\/p>\n
Designs for the senior cottages at the Westside Church of God in Fresno. SOUTHWEST FRESNO DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION Fresno seeks developer for affordable tiny homes<\/p>\n
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