A rendering of what The Park @ South Stadium would look like. The Fresno City Council gave preliminary approval on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. (Rendering/JCI Development, Inc)
- The Fresno City Council approved new plans for a long-delayed downtown housing project.
- Developer Mehmet Noyan will move forward with a larger, mixed-use building that includes affordable units.
- Businessman and political activist Brooke Ashjian forms a new PAC, Valley Watchdogs.
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The city of Fresno is giving a developer another chance to build a mixed-use project south of Chukchansi Park.
The Fresno City Council voted 7-0 on initial approvals for The Park @ South Stadium, an eight-story, 0.77-acre project at Inyo and Fulton streets in downtown.
The project was initially proposed in 2009, and developer Mehmet Noyan planned to build housing and retail. In 2022, the council killed the project by not extending financing deadlines.
Another challenge was that Noyan’s partner, Terance Frazier, was in litigation against the city over his nonprofit’s operation of the Granite Park sports complex. The litigation is ongoing.
This time, Noyan, through The Park Partners LLC, is working with partner Jeff Isenstadt. The project will be larger — 160 units, up from the original 99. Forty percent of the units will be reserved as affordable, intended for student housing.
“I feel good today, but we still have a lot of work ahead of us,” Noyan said after the approval.
Noyan’s group has until Feb. 28, 2026, to secure funding. If all goes as planned, construction would start next year with an opening in spring 2028.
“We’ve learned from the mistakes of our past as a city, where we provided development agreements and extended them well beyond their useful life,” Mayor Jerry Dyer said. “We need housing downtown in a bad way.”
Earlier this year, the State Center Community College District board declined to support Noyan, opting for a project closer to the Fresno City College campus.
Other City Council Notes
Complying with a court order, the city council voted 7-0 to decertify approvals of a proposed Costco at Herndon Avenue and Riverside Drive in north Fresno. A neighborhood group sued, claiming the city did not properly conduct environmental reviews. Fresno County Superior Court Judge Jonathan Skiles agreed and ordered the city to take action.
The city council approved 7-0 to contribute $250,000 to the Central California Food Bank. Councilmember Nelson Esparza will contribute $50,000 of that amount from his district funds.
More than 840,000 people visited the Fresno Chaffee Zoo in 2024, zoo officials told the City Council. About 249,000 of those visitors were from the city of Fresno.
The Fresno City Council voted 5-2 to support resuming horse racing at the Big Fresno Fair. Three horses died after races in 2024, and no races were held this year. Miguel Arias and Tyler Maxwell voted against. Councilmember Annalisa Perea, also a member of the fair board, said the city attorney cleared her to vote on the item.
Ashjian Forms New Political Group
Fresno businessman and political advocate Brooke Ashjian shut down one political action committee and formed another.
County election records show Ashjian filed to terminate the group known as Guardians for Growth, transferring $16,527 to a newly formed group, Valley Watchdogs.
The new group was formed to support or oppose candidates or measures in Fresno County.
“We’re done guarding. The dogs are barking,” Ashjian told Politics 101.
The group reported spending more than $1,900 on text messages.
It reported $1,000 contributions from developer James Huelskamp and ETAL Corp., and a $1,000 loan from Bonadelle Homes.
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