fbpx

SCCCD Board President Bobby Kahn announced that the nearly 40 acres of land needed for the new West Fresno campus had been finalized with a 7-0 vote on Tuesday. Photo by Donald A. Promnitz

published on April 4, 2018 - 2:00 PM
Written by ,

Leaders of the State Center Community College District marked the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s death with the announcement of a new campus by the Fresno street that bears his name.

“Because of Measure C and the support of our community, we proposed this satellite campus and it’s going to be even better than what we first imagined,” said SCCCD Chancellor Paul Parnell at the press conference in front of Rutherford B. Gaston Middle School, across the street from the property. “It’s going to be state-of-the-art.”

The SCCCD Board of Trustees voted last night to approve the purchase of 26.06 acres of land on E. Church Avenue, between Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Walnut Avenue from 2500 MLK, LLC. The transaction includes both a donation and a purchase. $1,759,050.0 of Measure C funds will be spent on half of this land, while Shehady/Hall, the owners, will donate the rest.

Also adjacent to the property is 13.51 acres of land acquired from TFS Investments on Walnut and Church Avenues. Headed by Terance Frazier, TFS investments donated half of this property, while the SCCCD paid $675,000 for the rest. This brings the West Fresno campus for Fresno City College to nearly 40 acres total.

The new campus is expected to focus heavily on career-oriented education and technological training. Fresno Mayor Lee Brand called the campus a “game-changer,” indicating its role in future economic growth.

“I know you’ve heard the good news—first Ulta, Amazon and, last week, the GAP—that’s 4,000 new jobs,” Brand said. “These new e-commerce fulfillment centers will provide revenue to expanding our economic base and providing better city services.”

In addition, SCCCD will receive $16.9 million in Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) funds. A further $11 million and $4.5 million in TCC money will go to off-site improvements and a neighborhood park respectively.

Escrow for the most recent purchase is expected to close by June 17.


e-Newsletter Signup

Our Weekly Poll

Do you think Valley Children's Hospital will lose financial support due to CEO pay revelations?
118 votes

Central Valley Biz Blogs

. . .