The Monarch @ Chinatown opened in 2023, bringing 57 affordable housing units to Chinatown. Photo via liveatmonarchchinatown.com

Attention, budding land developers: Chinatown Fresno is open for business.

And if you’re interested in doing a project, there’s a class for that.

The Chinatown Fresno Foundation, powered by a grant from the Kresge Foundation, has partnered with the Incremental Development (IncDev) Alliance to host an all-day, small scale development workshop in April.

The IncDev Alliance is based in Little Rock, Arkansas, and hosts these sorts of programs across the country, including a virtual small developer boot camp for Fresno in 2021. They estimate that out of about 8,000 people trained through their programs, about 20% have gone on to launch their own development projects.

While the workshop takes place Thursday, April 24, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., a free meetup for interested parties is scheduled this Thursday, March 6, from 5-7:30 p.m. at the Cultural Heritage Center at 846 F St. in Fresno. Visit the IncDev Alliance website to register.

Organizers say all are invited — especially participants with the following backgrounds:

• Worked in construction, development, planning, architecture or real estate
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• Engaged in business or neighborhood development
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• Served local governments in administration, economic development or planning
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• Provided loans or funding through banks of CDFIs (Community Development Financial Institutions)
•  

The meetup presenter will be Alli Thurmond Quinlan, principal with Flintlock LAB and IncDev acting director.

The April 24 workshop will include sections about architecture and urban design, site selection, zoning, financing, property acquisition and more.

For the Thursday meetup, the stakes aren’t so high. It’s meant to be a fun and energizing event to get folks engaged.

“We want everyone to get together to talk about this concept and how it can benefit Chinatown and other neighborhoods in Fresno,” Minami said.

Chinatown is the future site of a California high-speed rail station, which has generated investor interest. Most recently, Fresno Housing constructed The Monarch @ Chinatown, a 57-unit affordable housing development at F and Mariposa streets. It opened in 2023.