City and county officials joined Fresno Housing on Wednesday to break ground on Davu Village, a 62-unit affordable and supportive housing development on North Warren Avenue that marks the third conversion of a distressed motel along the Parkway Drive corridor.

The ceremony at 1075 N. Warren Ave., the former Golden State Triage Center site, drew Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer, Fresno City Councilmember Miguel Arias, Fresno County Supervisor Luis Chavez, and Dr. Emma Rasmussen, deputy director of the Fresno County Department of Behavioral Health, and other dignitaries.

The project is part of a broader effort along a corridor once associated with blight, crime, and human trafficking. Beginning in 2021, the city of Fresno and Fresno Housing have acquired nine motels on and around Parkway Drive and one vacant lot.

More than $142 million in HomeKey funding has been invested in projects along the corridor, Dyer said. The city has also committed $15 million to Fresno Housing’s Parkway Drive work, including nearly $7 million for Davu Village.

“Together, we are transforming properties into places of stability and opportunity,” the mayor said. “Quality housing projects developed along this corridor have eliminated blight, created new housing opportunities, and revitalized neighborhoods.”

Fresno Housing CEO Says City Hits Milestone

Fresno Housing CEO Tyrone Roderick Williams called the project a milestone in efforts to reshape the area.

“We’re celebrating the groundbreaking of Davu Village along Parkway Drive, and it is the third conversion of a motel into permanent supportive housing,” Roderick Williams said. “In partnership with the city, the county, and numerous other partners, we are doing groundbreaking on 62 units of affordable housing with supportive services.”

The development will convert the former motel through rehabilitation and adaptive reuse, along with new construction, into 62 affordable apartment units and one manager’s unit. It is targeted to people exiting homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless.

“Individuals who are exiting homelessness or at risk of becoming homelessness will find a place to begin to put their lives back together and have supportive services to assist them in that,” Roderick Williams said.

Dyer said the project reflects Fresno’s broader response to housing shortages and rising rents.

“We needed to be a driving force in creating affordable housing,” Dyer said. The city has since created a 16-person housing division and launched the One Fresno Housing Strategy, he said.

Fresno Provides Emergency Shelter to More Than 12,000

He said the city has provided emergency shelter to more than 12,500 unhoused people, with about half exiting homelessness.

“However, it is not enough to just exit a life of homelessness — there must be a place for them to exit to,” Dyer said. “Davu Village is one of those places.”

The city is providing funding for rehabilitation, while the Fresno County Department of Behavioral Health will provide supportive services at no cost to residents, Roderick Williams said.

“The city and the county and the Housing Authority are coming together to make this a reality,” he said.

Services will include help obtaining vital documents such as birth certificates and Social Security cards, connections to medical care and employment assistance, according to Roderick Williams.

“It’s not just about housing, but having the services to connect them to opportunities. That will help them find gainful employment,” he said.

Dyer said residents will have access to long-term support.

“Projects like Davu Village show what is possible when we invest in people and create housing that meets the needs of our community at every income level and in every part of our city,” he said.

Fresno Improving Green Space

Fresno Housing is working with city leaders and the highway department to improve green space and pedestrian access in the area. Arias has previously referenced plans for a neighborhood park near the site, which is close to the Fresno Chaffee Zoo but separated by a freeway.

“One of the things that we wanted to do was to convert the parkway into a neighborhood,” Roderick Williams said. “Not just a series of apartments, but really a neighborhood.”

The name Davu Village came from a naming contest and means “new beginning.” It also shares its name with a baby elephant at the nearby Fresno Chaffee Zoo.

“We thought, well, this is a new beginning, and we’re adjacent to this zoo, let’s make the connection. That’s how Davu Village got its name,” Roderick Williams said.

The motel sign will remain on the property but will be repurposed, he said. Construction is expected to be completed in late 2027 or early 2028.

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