Hundreds showed up to the Warnors Theatre for the State of Downtown. They were greeted by a live band, ate great food from the likes of Kiku’s and tasted preview of nearly a half-dozen breweries on the new Fresno Ale Trail.

The event, held by the Downtown Partnership, featured a five minute speech by Mayor Lee Brand, who touted the accomplishments of downtown and his first three months as head of City Hall. But first, Brand displayed his best dance moves.

Brand touted the opening of the Fulton Mall to traffic, scheduled for later this year.  He said over $100 million has been invested by the private sector.

He also touched on the impending $70 million state grant from Cap & Trade funds. “That’s the largest single grant ever for the city of Fresno. That money will primarily be spent downtown.”

Brand said more jobs are coming to Fresno via a major retailer. “Amazon has identified Fresno as a preferred site to bring an e-commerce plant…We will find out that in a couple months, it will bring 3,000 jobs to Fresno.”

For the full video of Brand’s speech, click below.

Contact David Taub

Phone: 559-492-4037 / e-mail

This story was not subject to the approval of Granville Homes.