SOTOW
By Richard Deaver
If you’ve heard about The Fultonia project either through the local news media or by following this blog, you’re probably familiar with the term, “SoTow”, and may have wondered what it means and why it is so significant to the Tower District and to Central Fresno. Basically, the term SoTow, (South of Tower) was created to help establish a new identity for the Tower District neighborhood south of Olive Avenue.
The FULTONIA - Live/Work Village @ SOTOW rendering
The term was first conceived when I was contacted by property owner Terance Frazier with TFS Investments, LLC to look at The Fultonia; a 39-unit apartment complex with 10 commercial spaces in front that he had just purchased. As I walked through the complex I saw a unique opportunity to bring a once-proud property with great architectural bones and a neighborhood that was suffering from years of neglect back to life.
I also saw an existing structure, built around 1950, that although in terrible condition offered something that was extremely rare in Fresno – an existing mixed-use property with both residential and commercial spaces available. The only other properties that offered this unique mix were either built recently or are currently under construction. A small complex was built a few years ago across from Fresno State that has retail on the ground floor with apartments above and Reza Assemi has become the preeminent mixed-use developer in the Uptown Arts District with both completed mixed-use projects and others in progress.
Part of the potential I saw for The Fultonia was to create a live-work environment where people could walk from their home to their office or retail establishment.
To be fair, there are parts of this Tower District neighborhood south of Olive that are well maintained and a number of homes and commercial buildings that show pride of ownership, but much of the area has been neglected for years – some areas worse than others. The neighborhood north of Olive Avenue has long enjoyed a higher level of homeownership and has been in greater demand by people looking to live within the Tower District.
To transform this neighborhood between Olive and Belmont would require a major undertaking. Simply refurbishing a house or two would not have the needed impact that was required to begin the transformation process. It is a start, but you would need a number of houses within close proximity to accomplish what The Fultonia property represented – an opportunity to make a big impact on the overall neighborhood, in part, due to its size, and because of its unique architectural design and mix of residential and commercial spaces.
What I also saw was a need for a new identity in this area of the Tower District.
If you look at the area in San Francisco called SoMa, or South of Market, it has come to define an important part of the City just as SoHo is to New York City. At one time, the SoMa neighborhood also suffered from neglect, but has seen tremendous redevelopment over time and is now a highly sought after area to live – primarily by young professionals. The neighborhood is a diverse stretch of warehouses, nightclubs, residential hotels, art spaces, loft apartments, condominiums and technology companies such as Twitter, CNET Networks, Sega of America and more.
My idea for designating this neighborhood as SoTow was to try and bring about this same type of transformative process that turned SoMa from a blighted area into one that catered to a more upscale clientèle. The process has taken the City of San Francisco years to accomplish this transformation in the South of Market area that has seen more than one problem arise threatening to halt all of the plans, but anything worthwhile takes time and commitment.
My goal with SoTow is to show the residents in the community what can be accomplished and hopefully use The Fultonia as a catalyst for change and improvement. This is not to say the goal is to bring change that destroys the unique nature that has come to define the Tower District, but it is hoped that this project will set the tone for improvements to other properties – both residential and commercial.
The vision of SoTow can be accomplished by creating a neighborhood that attracts all types of people who want to live, work and thrive in a vibrant part of the Tower District. It just requires someone to take the first step and for others to follow.
