The city of Fresno has selected a private developer to build a 104-unit mixed-income housing project on a vacant 9.7-acre parcel at Belmont and Dewitt avenues, city records show. The contract calls for a combination of income-restricted tiny homes and two- and three-bedroom duplex units, plus community and commercial space intended to serve the surrounding neighborhood.
Project specifics, funding and timeline
New Look Investments LLC, a company incorporated in Oklahoma and led by California-licensed brokers Ben Dreicer and Dustin Kircher, won the city’s competitive bid process that began in 2024. The city is selling the parcel to the developers for $1.02 million; proceeds are earmarked for the city’s police impact fee fund.
Under the terms of the city contract, the development will include 50 tiny homes that will be income-restricted for 30 years and 54 duplex-style units. The tiny homes are divided by income limits: 26 units restricted to households earning no more than 30% of area median income (AMI) and 24 units restricted to households earning no more than 80% AMI. The state’s housing department lists Fresno County’s AMI this year at up to $97,100 for a four-person household.
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Site area | 9.7 acres |
| Total units | 104 units |
| Tiny homes (income-restricted) | 50 units |
| Duplex units | 54 units |
| Purchase price (city land) | $1.02 million |
The project contract describes a planned community hub with about 12,000 square feet of commercial and community space. Dreicer has said construction could begin by next summer and is expected to take roughly two years to complete.
Affordable ownership and other local projects
Dreicer and Kircher describe the duplex portion of the development as a potential path to homeownership for first-time buyers, with the developers expressing interest in offering favorable purchase terms if feasible.
"We would love an opportunity to make something where first-time homebuyers can get them at a very good rate,"
City documents and developer statements note the tiny homes component will be provided using federal and state dollars. The developers are already involved in other Fresno housing efforts, including a state-funded motel conversion and the downtown Divisadero Commons apartments, which broke ground earlier this year.
- Land sale proceeds of $1.02 million will go to Fresno’s police impact fee fund.
- Tiny homes will carry 30-year income restrictions across two AMI tiers (30% and 80%).
- The larger development aims to include neighborhood-serving commercial and community space.
City officials selected New Look Investments through a competitive process. The contract calls for the developers to deliver the project in phases tied to permitting and construction schedules; further details on financing, sales terms and exact unit configuration for the duplex portion are included in the contract documents reviewed by the city but have not been finalized publicly.
For residents near Belmont and Dewitt, the plan represents both new housing stock and added neighborhood amenities, though questions remain about the final mix of ownership versus rental product and how the community space will be programmed. The 30-year affordability covenants for the tiny homes provide a defined period of income-restricted housing, while the developers’ stated interest in keeping some duplexes affordable to first-time buyers indicates a hybrid approach to addressing both rental and ownership affordability.
As the project moves forward, the city will process required land sale approvals and development permits. Construction timelines and details will be refined as financing is secured and building plans are submitted to city planners.
Local residents and interested parties can expect additional hearings and public notices as the project advances through the permitting and approval stages.
