“The Fresno Housing Authority has made an offer to One by One Leadership to buy a handful of houses and several empty lots on L Street. Officials for both organizations said they’ve agreed to terms and will enter escrow this week, but declined to give details.

The proposed deal calls for the Housing Authority to buy five homes and several empty lots on L, plus two nearby homes on San Joaquin Street…”

Read more @:  Fresno agency offers to help nonprofit’s downtown plan

“Fresno Housing Authorities has offered to buy the deteriorating Droge building in downtown Fresno in a deal brokered by city officials…”

Read more @:  Housing agency bids for withered downtown bldg.

“Five years of mostly invisible effort comes out from behind the curtain today when the Fresno Housing Authorities starts building a long-awaited “green” apartment complex across from the Veterans Affairs Medical Center…”Read more @:  Work to start on ‘green’ Fresno public housing

“The Fresno City Council will consider an emergency resolution today that would let the city waive competitive bidding and hire a Fresno company to repair the Fresno Art Museum’s rain-damaged roof…”

Read more @:  Council may fix Fresno Art Museum roofing

“There was one last twist Wednesday night in the long battle between central Fresno garage owner Jim Medina and the city officials who tried to shut him down.

Having won his appeal last month of the city’s decision to revoke his land use permit, Medina has now learned that he will have to pay for the permit modifications that will allow his Van Ness Auto Repair to stay in business…”

Read more @:  Fresno garage owner to pay fees for permit

“Austin’s is now going three-day-a-week with the live music at lunch. Starting today, the incomparable Ron Thompson will play during lunch on Thursdays…”

Read more @:  Downtown’s live music lunch buffet

“The now-closed Fresno Metropolitan Museum’s personal property is scheduled to be sold at 9 a.m. Feb. 17. The auction will be at the museum’s former downtown site, 1555 Van Ness Ave…”

Read more @:  Fresno Met to sell items at auction

“Rick Mirigian […] has his sights set on downtown — specifically The 600 Club at Chukchansi Park. This Saturday it has its grand opening as The Penthouse, a club unlike any in Fresno right now. It’s open until 4 a.m. and sits up above the baseball field where the Grizzlies play…”

Read more @:  Q & A: Rick Mirigian on The Penthouse, downtown nightlife and 4 a.m. clubbing

“The charter school principal who wants to lease part of the former home of the Fresno Metropolitan Museum said City Hall is trying to sell the historic building…”

Read more @:  Fresno trying to sell Met museum building

“The Fresno City Council this morning unanimously approved an emergency resolution to hire Graham Prewett, Inc. to put a new roof on the Fresno Art Museum…”

Read more @:  Council OKs Fresno Art Museum roof fix

Granville Homes has started the construction of Fulton Village, just one
of the many downtown mixed-use apartment projects under the GV Urban
division which is focused on the revitalization of Downtown Fresno.

We are looking for local artists to help design a new logo for “GV
Urban” that will be used on signs, printed materials, and items
promoting the brand.  If you want to see your design on billboards and
t-shirts, please read the details below.

1.    Create a design incorporating “GV Urban” to be used as the
official logo.  “GV Urban” must be the main focus of the logo.
2.    You may submit your artwork in the following file versions: jpg,
pdf, or eps.
3.    Submit your design entry by February 13, 2010 to:

ssimonian@gvhomes.com  or by mail to:

1396 W. Herndon Ave. Suite 101

Fresno, CA 93711

Attn: Shannon Simonian

4.    All submissions become the property of Granville Homes, which
may use, re-use, publish, re-publish, broadcast, and create derivative
works from the submissions.
5.    Credits will be given to the designer of the logo.

Shannon Simonian / Marketing

Granville Homes

Passion, Commitment and Innovation…Everlasting

“The City of Fresno is making a big investment in the future of downtown, and this time, they say the plan is a lot different from what we’ve seen over the last 20 years…”

Read more @:  Big Investment in Downtown Fresno; Why this plan is different

“As President Barack Obama voiced strong support for high-speed rail in his State of the Union address Wednesday, federal officials announced that California will get a big share of the $8 billion fund for projects nationwide…”

Read more @:   Calif. awarded $2.25b for high-speed rail

“Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger came to Fresno today to celebrate California being awarded $2.25 billion in federal stimulus money for the state’s proposed high-speed rail line…”

Read more @:  Governor in Fresno, lauds rail funds

“The city-owned Fresno Art Museum building, which has battled damaging leaks this winter, could start getting a new roof next month…”

Read more @:  Fresno Art Museum could get new roof

“8:33 p.m.: Homeless people living on the southeast corner of Ventura and F streets will need to vacate the private property this morning after the owners said they didn’t want the land used as an encampment.

Fresno city officials had sought a temporary restraining order in Fresno County Superior Court to remove about 30 squatters when they were unable to locate the property owners previously, said city spokesman Randy Reed…”

Read more @:  Homeless clearing out camp in downtown Fresno

“Cliff Tutelian has invested more than $10 million in the landmark International Trade Center in downtown Fresno, preserving what original 1920s-era architectural features he could and replicating those he couldn’t…”

Read more @:  Developer pours millions into downtown landmark

Can’t wait to see what the Fulton Mall will look like once it has been fully revitalized?

 Well, here’s your chance to see a possible future for the Fulton Mall, animated by Suzanne Bertz-Rosa. The animated transformation was first presented at the Mayor’s State of Downtown Breakfast earlier today and is now available for public viewing at:

http://www.bertz-rosa.com/transformation/ 

Go ahead, have a look…

According to the new website PalazzoFresno.com, the new and fully-furnished Palazzo apartments, suites, and social spaces are open and ready for action.  The grand opening event is said to offer “Food, Prizes, and Fresno’s Newest Student Community!”

 For more information, click here .

According to the Fresno Beehive and a photo taken by Bryan Harley, downtown’s Newsroom Cafe will be closing soon. It’s sad to see or read, but if you care, there’s more information here:  http://fresnobeehive.com/2010/01/newsroom_cafe_a.html

On a brighter note, Tower Dogs has plans to expand it’s offerings and it’s seating space.  According to Joan Obra of the Fresno Bee, “Faced with customers asking for tables, Tower Dogs is taking over the Tower Bike Shop next door.” For more on this exciting news, check out this link:  Two Valley Restaurants Expanding

“Marchers honoring the Rev. Martin Luther King on Monday in downtown Fresno said the slain civil rights leader’s message of unity resounds today as people come together to help earthquake victims in Haiti who need food, water and shelter…”

Read more @:  King’s dream lives on in Fresno march

“Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin’s administration will ask the City Council on Thursday to take the next step in downtown revitalization by approving a $2.6 million contract for the Fulton Corridor Specific Plan and the Downtown Neighborhoods Community Plan. The 28-month contract will be divided over three budget years…”

Read more @:  EDITORIAL:  Fresno City Council should approve downtown plan

“The Fresno Metropolitan Museum may be gone, but there are still scattered signs of life in the city’s nascent Cultural Arts District.

About two blocks from the museum, on the southwest corner of Fulton and Amador streets, a plan for condominiums as part of a mixed-use residential and commercial complex called Fulton Village won unanimous approval Wednesday night from the city’s Planning Commission..”

Read more @:  Neighborhood rises despite Fresno Met’s demise

“Before there was a Fulton Mall, Fresno’s main commercial thoroughfare was Fulton Street, and for decades it bustled with business and traffic…”

Read more @:  Historical Perspective: Bustling Fulton Street

“A new piece of public art is planned for the entryway into Fresno’s Chinatown.

“It’s going to be very nice, a pleasant entryway to Chinatown and a good way to get momentum going in that area,” says Terry Cox, project manager with the Fresno Redevelopment Agency…”

Read more @:  Fresno’s Chinatown lands entryway artwork

“The principal of a Fresno charter school has submitted a proposal to City Hall to lease two floors of the former home of the Fresno Metropolitan Museum…”

Read more @:  Charter school submits plan for Met lease

“San Francisco Giants catching prospect Buster Posey has been added as a guest for the Fresno Grizzlies’ annual Hot Stove Banquet next month.

The Feb. 4 event at the Holiday Inn Downtown also will feature new Grizzlies manager Steve Decker..”

Read more @:  Posey joins Grizzlies’ Hot Stove Banquet

The Penthouse (Grand Opening) @ The 600 Club

inside Chukchansi Park

2/6/10, 11pm-4am

For more info and all of the flyers, click here:  http://hosted-p0.vresp.com/419479/b2d929006a/ARCHIVE”>http://hosted-p0.vresp.com/419479/b2d929006a/ARCHIVE

The Downtown Association of Fresno’s website DowntownFresno.org is premiering a new campaign entitled “Restaurant of the Week”, where each week they will spotlight and promote a different downtown restaurant.

January 11-17th featured Austin’s Downtown Grill and Sports Bar (formerly Hero’s Sports Lounge and Pizza Company).

Take a look at the feature here: http://downtownfresno.org/restaurant.html

…and here’s a list of upcoming features:

Jan 18-24  Joe’s Steakhouse and Grill

Jan 25-31  Cafe 1055 @ The Holiday Inn

Feb 1-7      Club One Restaurant

Feb 8-14    Cosmopolitan Tavern

Feb 15-21  Yeraz Armenian Restaurant

Feb 22-28  Gordo Roadhouse

Mar 1-7       Lety’s Authentic Mexican Food

Look for more restaurants to join the promotion as the weeks go by.

 ”About 20 people have been ordered out of a homeless encampment on a vacant lot in downtown Fresno, officials said today.

The property owner asked the people living at Ventura and E streets to leave, according to a news release Saturday from the office of City Manager Andrew Souza…”

Read more @:  Fresno homeless camp disbanded

“Three Fresh & Easy stores in Fresno and Clovis opened at 10 a.m. this morning.A line of customers stretched around the building at the downtown store at Tulare and R streets…”

Read more @:  Grocery chain gets fresh start in Fresno, Clovis

“For almost a year, creditors of Gottschalks Inc. have wondered what, if anything, they would receive on what they are owed by the bankrupt department-store chain.

Many have held out little hope.

But as the Fresno-based retailer approaches its final wind-down, court records suggest that businesses to whom millions are owed may recover at least a fraction of their loss…”

Read more @:  Gottschalks creditors may see some relief

“How much money Gottschalks pays its creditors will depend in part on a legal battle over the bankrupt retailer’s northeast Fresno corporate office.

In documents filed with the U.S. District Bankruptcy Court in Delaware, Gottschalks accuses a Fresno development company of “wrongful interference” with efforts to sell its ownership stake in the building and its leasing rights — potentially worth millions of dollars to Gottschalks creditors…”

Read more @:  Gottschalks, partner in fight over bankrupt retailer’s corporate office

“With the closure last week of the Fresno Metropolitan Museum, distressed cultural observers across the city repeated a reassuring mantra: At least we still have the Fresno Art Museum.

To which they should add:

We hope…”

Read more @:  Cuts put Fresno Art Museum under the gun

“Reporting from Fresno - Thursday, two days after the Fresno Metropolitan Museum of Art & Science closed its doors to the public for the last time, the atmosphere inside resembled a wake…”

Read more @:  The Fresno Metropolitan Museum of Art & Science closes its doors

“Several hundred people gathered in Fresno on Friday for the first in a series of statewide meetings aimed at educating people about the $11 billion water bond.

The event drew local, state and federal elected officials who talked about the need to provide funding to fix major water quality and supply problems that have plagued the state for decades…”

Read more @:  Hundreds attend Fresno water bond meeting