Fresno preservation commission to update Chinatown survey, elevate Hitching Post ahead of longer Blackstone study

The City of Fresno Historic Preservation Commission on Dec. 23 discussed a staff plan to begin updating the Chinatown historic resources survey in January 2025 and to present a draft to the commission in May.

Assistant Director Ashley Atkinson told the commission staff did not find immediate outside funding and intends to perform an initial refresh with in-house time. Atkinson said the commission could then apply for grants from the State Historic Preservation Office to fund follow-up work: "we did not uncover any viable sources of funding except for the grants from the State Historic Preservation Office," she said.

The commission heard that the previous Chinatown survey dates to 2006. Dr. Lisha Chen, the city’s historic preservationist, said the planned update will be a phased approach focused first on changes to the integrity of properties and on historical research that has emerged since the last survey: "For Chinatown, it is a phased 1. ... We are majorly focusing on the integrity changes of each property."

Why it matters: staff said an updated survey would make the city a stronger candidate for SHPO grant funding and help inform owner engagement and design review in an area seeing investment. Commissioners repeatedly cited development pressure along other corridors — especially Blackstone Avenue — as a reason to prioritize updated documentation.

Commissioners discussed the order of priorities the commission had earlier identified. After discussion the commission signaled support for completing Chinatown first, moving the Fresno Hitching Post thematic survey into the No. 2 slot because staff already have draft material for that work, and deferring the broader Mid‑Century Modern survey of the Blackstone corridor — a project staff estimated could take a year or more.

Commissioners and staff recommended forming an ad hoc subcommittee to define Blackstone boundaries and identify priority properties before the city commits to a full corridor survey. Commissioners also suggested recruiting experienced local architectural practitioners to help capture institutional knowledge as surveys proceed.

Staff laid out a tentative schedule: begin the in‑house Chinatown update in January; complete the initial refresh within the first four months of the year; present the results to the commission in May; and, if appropriate, pursue SHPO grant funding for a subsequent phase. No formal vote was taken on the sequencing at the meeting.

Commissioners emphasized the need to engage property owners once boundary recommendations are drafted and noted that doing preliminary work in house can improve prospects for competitive grant applications later in the year.

Looking ahead, staff said they will return with a formal consent item to revise the commission’s priority list and, separately, staff will seek direction on creating a Blackstone corridor ad hoc committee.