Community Vision Invests $350,000 for Community-Owned Space for Nonprofits in Fresno’s Tower District
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Community Vision has provided $350,000 in financing to support South Tower Community Land Trust (South Tower CLT) in acquiring and improving its new headquarters and shared nonprofit space in Fresno’s Tower District. The investment will help secure long-term, community ownership of a neighborhood-based building designed to support organizing, collaboration, and essential nonprofit services.
Located at 617 N. Fulton Street, the 2,300-square-foot commercial building will serve as South Tower CLT’s permanent headquarters while also creating flexible, affordable space for nonprofit organizations and community-serving uses. By taking the property out of the speculative market and placing it under community stewardship, the project expands access to stable space for organizations working directly with South Tower residents.
“This project is about making more community-serving space available and keeping it rooted in the neighborhood,” said Catherine Howard, President of Community Vision. “By supporting South Tower CLT’s acquisition of this building, we’re helping ensure that nonprofits and organizers have long-term, affordable space to do their work—while advancing community ownership in Fresno.”
The building will be renovated to include four nonprofit office spaces, a community meeting room, and a retail storefront, creating a flexible hub for neighborhood-based services and organizing. The tenants signed on to join include Judging by the Cover Bookstore and San Joaquin Valley Free Clinic & Needle Exchange. Planned improvements will also upgrade core building systems, including HVAC and lighting, and incorporate sustainability features such as solar panels, rainwater capture, and shade trees.
Founded in 2022, South Tower CLT advances community control of land, buildings, and civic resources in Fresno’s South Tower neighborhood. The organization emerged from successful grassroots organizing to transform a former police substation into a community park, and is governed by a resident-led board that reflects the neighborhood’s demographics.
“Having grown up just two blocks from here, it is gratifying to soak in the milestone in growing South Tower CLT into a community development ecosystem. Not only are we building community ownership of housing with two existing homes and 18 in predevelopment, but the space where we’ll be consulting community, drawing up those plans, and delivering on our shared goals is also community-owned. We don’t just want affordable housing, we want the machines that are making them,” said Kiel Lopez-Schmidt, Executive Director of South Tower CLT.
The Fulton Street property is located within the South Tower District, near other sites South Tower CLT has acquired or is developing for permanently affordable housing and community use. Establishing a headquarters at this location allows the organization to remain deeply embedded in the neighborhood while continuing to expand its housing and community development work.
South Tower CLT is also a participant in Community Vision’s California Community-Owned Real Estate (CalCORE) program, a cohort-based initiative supporting community-based developers working to acquire and steward social purpose real estate. The project builds on Community Vision’s growing investment in the Central Valley, supporting locally led solutions to long-standing disinvestment.
This investment reflects Community Vision’s commitment to advancing community ownership of community assets and supporting community-rooted organizations across California—and particularly in the Central Valley—in securing permanent spaces that foster stability, sustainability, and local control.
Media Contact:
Matias Bernal
Vice President of Development
415-392-8215
mbernal@communityvisionca.org
About Community Vision:
Founded in 1987 as the Northern California Community Loan Fund, Community Vision advances community ownership of community assets across California. Through lending, advising, and partnership, we support nonprofits and community-rooted organizations in securing the spaces that help communities thrive and build long-term stability. To date, we’ve invested more than $635 million in financing, leveraged over $3.3 billion, and distributed more than $39 million in grants. Community Vision is a nonprofit community development financial institution (CDFI) and an Equal Opportunity Provider.
