Affordable housing advocates have filed a lawsuit against the city of Fresno, claiming it has failed to make enough land available for low cost housing.
Residents of southwest Fresno say the city has failed to re-zone some 700-acres of land it promised to set aside for multifamily homes and apartments.
Attorney Ashley Werner with the Leadership Council for Justice says Fresno is facing an affordable housing crisis.
Werner: “About half of residents and 75 percent of low income residents are paying unaffordable rates for housing costs. So the suit seeks to require the city to take the first steps by at a minimum making cites available for affordable housing,”
The city disagrees with the claims in the suit, and says it is currently working its way through updating various growth plans including updating the housing code.
However, Werner says they are concerned that early drafts of the housing plan will still fall short of providing enough land for affordable housing.
