Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer has a formula for populating downtown: New infrastructure leads to housing, which leads to 10,000 people and more retail.

The city held a ceremony in Chinatown — adjacent to downtown Fresno — to lay miles of water and sewer pipes. Dyer said that these pieces of infrastructure will trigger more housing, with retail to follow. His goal — long stated publicly — remains 10,000 downtown residents.

“You cannot lift up your downtown without lifting up Chinatown,” Dyer said at a Wednesday news conference at an empty private lot on the corner of Tulare and E streets — a space used by contractor Floyd Johnston Construction to stage equipment.

Dyer spoke of the future High-Speed Rail station, which is coming to Mariposa Street.

“The last thing I want is for people to come in and to look to the left and see a vibrant downtown and then look to the right and see an abandoned Chinatown,” Dyer said.

The solution is building infrastructure — sewer and water pipes that will replace aging lines, some nearly 90 years old.

“When we get to 10,000 people living downtown, that will be the momentum we need to be able to continue in the direction we want,” Dyer said.

Dyer said five different housing projects, with a total capacity of 2,000 people, are in various stages of development.

Other infrastructure improvements include “complete streets,” Dyer said —sidewalks, street lights and gutters.

Some State Funding Here

The state committed $250 million last year in the California budget. However, only $50 million is available — the remainder is delayed because of the state’s financial uncertainty.

The city did receive another $43 million infill infrastructure grant through the state, for a total of $93 million to use now.

“Quite frankly, we’re having to pause on many of our projects,” Dyer said of the remaining $200 million.

Projects delayed include a “desperately needed” 900-space parking garage near Chukchansi Park.

“The longer we wait to build, the more it cost,” Dyer said.

Dyer plans to speak with Gov. Gavin Newsom about the remaining budget pledge “at the appropriate time.”

Developers Excited

Sevak Khatchadourian is known for several downtown Fresno projects, including the Pacific Southwest building. He watched the news conference from the sidelines and liked what he heard.

“Developers always follow infrastructure money. So, if the infrastructure is being done, so definitely developers will have more incentive to to come in,” Khatchadourian said.

Another downtown developer, Reza Assemi, said this will help clear 20 years of hurdles.

“It’s going to make a lot of projects a lot smoother, move a lot quicker, not get shelved, not get passed because the expense is really something,” Assemi said.

Tyrone Roderick Williams, CEO of the Fresno Housing Authority, said this will allow his agency to build more.

“This is catalytic because it creates the opportunity for us to build on the land that we would have not been able to build on, had the infrastructure not been there. So this is a real game changer,” Williams said.