El Dorado Park Neighborhood Plan
The El Dorado Park Neighborhood Plan is a community action plan for the rehabilitation and improvement of the El Dorado Park neighborhood in the City of Fresno. Located directly west of the Fresno State campus, El Dorado Park is a four block area with 47 properties of predominantly multi-family residential apartment buildings.
Built in the 1960's as student housing for Fresno State students, the apartment buildings and their surrounding grounds have been in a prolonged period of disrepair and neglect by absentee landlords. Today they are home to mostly refugee and immigrant families from Southeast Asia and Mexico. The neighborhood has a high reported incidence of gang violence, crime, and drugs.
To address these problems, the City of Fresno (in collaboration with key community organizations) hired the MW Steele Group to lead a community planning effort that will culminate in the adoption of an El Dorado Park Neighborhood Plan.
The scope of work includes the organization and facilitation of two community workshops, several meetings with representatives from the community and one public meeting. More than 150 stakeholders attended each of the two charrettes. Three redevelopment alternatives were proposed, and one preferred alternative was selected and detailed. The plan outlines detailed implementation strategies and tasks and includes comprehensive design guidelines for the neighborhood.
Through extensive public participation and involvement with stakeholders, we have crafted a vision for the future of the El Dorado Park neighborhood that respects the past and serves as a model for future redevelopment efforts in a rapidly growing city and region.
