Clovis vs. Fresno: How Two Neighboring Cities Tackle Affordable Housing

Affordable housing is a pressing concern across California’s Central Valley, with neighboring cities Clovis and Fresno each taking distinct but thoughtful approaches. Both cities must balance growth, equity, and resource constraints—yet their strategies reflect different priorities and structures. Clovis uses its Housing Element as part of its General Plan—a blueprint designed to guide housing development through 2031—while Fresno relies on a federally guided Consolidated Plan that includes its Annual Action Plan to direct HUD funding and programming over a five-year cycle.

The stakes are high. Clovis must ensure its Housing Element meets state requirements, addresses regional housing needs, and promotes fairness. Fresno must align federal funding mechanisms with local goals, from homelessness prevention to infrastructure improvements. This comparison sheds light on how two cities right next to each other face similar housing challenges with different tools and frameworks. The article will explore Clovis’s Housing Element, Fresno’s Consolidated Plan and Annual Action Plan, and how each city’s approach shapes their path forward.

Clovis’s Housing Element is a legally required piece of its General Plan, updated every eight years and recently adopted for the 2023–2031 cycle. It lays out clear components: a housing needs assessment, analysis of fair housing constraints, evaluation of past performance, and a sites inventory. Clovis also sets goals, policies, and implementation programs, complete with measurable objectives. It emphasizes preserving neighborhoods, reducing indirect housing costs (such as energy and transport), and ensuring fair housing access for all income groups.

Public engagement has been an important part of the process—Clovis held community workshops and made drafts available for review. The approach is largely planning-focused, identifying land for development, recognizing constraints, and laying out a policy roadmap. It’s a forward-looking, comprehensive structure aiming to guide decisions over a multi-year span.

Fresno’s approach centers on the 2025–2029 Consolidated Plan and its first-year Annual Action Plan (2025-2026), which guide the use of HUD funds like CDBG, HOME, ESG, and HOPWA. The Consolidated Plan outlines housing and community development needs, funding strategies, and how federal dollars should be deployed. Fresno’s City Council approved the plan in mid-2025, and it’s now pending HUD approval.

The Annual Action Plan specifies allocations—over $11.6 million in federal funding in the first year—and targets areas such as homelessness, public facilities, infrastructure, and owner-occupied home repair. The city conducted broad community outreach, including hearings, surveys, and pop-up events, then published a Notice of Funding Availability to solicit applications from nonprofits and local agencies. The process also included a required Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice, as part of HUD compliance.

Clovis’s Housing Element is an internally driven, policy-rich planning tool that looks across multiple housing needs and constraints, set against long-term regional goals. Fresno’s Consolidated Plan is inherently funding-centered, geared toward deploying federal resources over a shorter period and tied directly to service delivery and program implementation.

Clovis focuses on land use, planning, and structural policy goals, building a foundation for development. Fresno, meanwhile, organizes around funding streams and annual priorities—translating identified needs into actual projects and services delivered on the ground. While both aim to advance affordable housing, Clovis sets the strategic direction; Fresno turns strategy into tangible action via grants, funding, and outreach.

Clovis and Fresno together illustrate two sides of the affordable housing equation—long-range planning and real-time delivery. Clovis’s Housing Element provides a structured, policy-driven guide through 2031, grounded in assessments, site inventories, and fair housing goals. Fresno’s Consolidated Plan translates need into action, channeling federal funds quickly toward projects that support low- and moderate-income residents.

Each city plays to its strengths: Clovis aligns with state planning mandates and local vision, while Fresno leverages federal resources to respond directly to pressing housing and community needs. Ultimately, understanding both approaches offers valuable insight into how neighboring cities, sharing many of the same challenges, choose different paths to serve their communities.

Curious how these approaches might affect your community or your investments? Let’s talk.

Eric Lawrence Frazier, MBA
 Your trusted advisor in business and wealth
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