Photos by Dylan Gonzales, South Tower CLT | South Tower Community Land Trust listed its first rehabilitated home — a two-bedroom, two-bath, single-family home priced at $215,000, which is considered well below market value at 517 N. Farris Ave.

After decades of disinvestment, Fresno’s Tower District is now experiencing signs of revitalization.

Leading the way in the effort is South Tower Community Land Trust (CLT), a nonprofit that “envisions a barrier-free South Tower neighborhood, creatively building shared prosperity and health.”

One of the main goals for South Tower CLT is to keep housing affordable and give residents more control over neighborhood development.

One of the first examples of the success of this model happened in 2017, when residents pushed to transform a vacant city lot into Broadway Parque. Construction began in May 2024, and the park officially opened this summer.

South Tower CLT uses the community land trust model, which separates land ownership from homeownership.

By keeping ownership of the land and selling only the improvements, the CLT model helps reduce the purchasing price by tens of thousands of dollars and makes sure properties stay affordable for multiple generations.

“The strategy that’s used is for the land trust to continue to own the land underneath the housing and only sell the improvements,” said Kiel Lopez-Schmidt, executive director of South Tower CLT. “Holding the land on our balance sheet, rather than one new homeowner having to pay for that with their loans, reduces the purchase price of a home from $75,000 to $100,000.”

South Tower CLT manages to keep the homes affordable by keeping ownership of the land, while only selling the homes.

“That’s how we’re able to preserve affordability long term,” Lopez-Schmidt said.

South Tower CLT leadership also reflects the organization’s focus on the community. One-third of the board is CLT residents, and another third is nearby neighbors. The remainder is made up of professionals with expertise in areas such as real estate and finance.

Several challenges remain in the South Tower District as renters outnumber homeowners and several landlords are unable to maintain their respective properties. Additionally, industrial uses and nearby freeways that run through South Tower neighborhoods bring air quality and traffic safety concerns.

Lopez-Schmidt said addressing these issues, along with reversing years of disinvestment, requires patient capital and philanthropic support.

“Philanthropy is critical to reversing a lot of this disinvestment,” Lopez-Schmidt said.

House and home

A recent major milestone saw South Tower CLT list its first rehabilitated home — a two-bedroom, two-bath single-family home priced at $215,000, which is considered well below market value at 517 N. Farris Ave.

Renovations to the home include a new roof and an air conditioning system.

“We’re specifically using a small unit size, a one-bedroom home and a studio cottage, as a way of making homeownership in reach,” Lopez-Schmidt said.

Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula, who grew up nearby and was a childhood friend of Lopez-Schmidt, credited South Tower CLT for the project being a model for neighborhood renewal.

“This is the first example that we can do here in South Tower. But many homes just like this need to be renovated, that need to be rehabilitated, that need community members, neighbors looking after those of us that still live in these neighborhoods,” Arambula said.

South Tower CLT also has several connections with the LGBTQ+ community in the Tower District, which Lopez-Schmidt described as the “LGBTQ capital of Fresno.”

Around half of the board and several staff members identify as LGBTQ+, and South Tower CLT co-hosts the Queer Housing Summit that helps address housing insecurity and discrimination.

The organization has also worked on several projects in the area over the last several years, including Broadway Parque; 541 @ South Tower, a 31-unit affordable housing complex; Tower Bike Racks, 40 custom bike racks across the Tower District; San Pablo Cottages, an infill project that brought cottages and tiny homes to a vacant freeway parcel, and San Pablo Park Murals, freeway column art created by local artists.

Currently, South Tower CLT is in escrow on its first commercial building, which will provide office and community space. South Tower CLT is working towards gathering $7,000 from community members.

“If there’s anybody that wants to contribute to that, that would be really amazing,” Lopez-Schmidt said.