Fresno leaders, community partners and an honor guard gathered this week to mark construction closeout on Dakota, a four-story affordable housing development built specifically to serve veterans and their families. The 114-unit complex sits on East Dakota Avenue, on the former site of Smugglers Restaurant and Sports Lounge, which the development replaced after demolition earlier in 2025.
The celebration, as reported by KMPH Fox 26, included a ceremonial honor guard, remarks from community leaders and project partners, and tours of the finished property. Of Dakota's 114 units, 45 are specifically reserved for veterans, according to YourCentralValley.com, which reported the building includes a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom homes. A city agenda item lists the project as a 113-unit affordable multifamily housing development, a discrepancy the available records do not resolve.
Veteran Housing Vouchers and Support Services
Dakota is expected to house roughly 45 Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing vouchers, per developer UPholdings, and the units are planned to be affordable to households earning 30%, 50%, and 60% of area median income. The development is designed to offer wrap-around support from providers including the VA, RH Community Builders, and the City Center, according to the same UPholdings account of the project.
Planned on-site amenities include a fitness room, a community room with a shared kitchen, an outdoor picnic area, a playground, bike parking, and high-speed internet, UPholdings states. The complex is also planned to achieve gold certification under the GreenPoint Rated green-building standard.
City Financing and a Multimillion-Dollar Price Tag
UPholdings President Jessica Hoff Berzac said the City of Fresno has been a strong partner since the project's earliest stages, providing a home loan for Dakota and partnering with developers on an application for the state's Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities program. Construction alone cost roughly $46 million, funded through state and city dollars, Berzac told the station. Separately, a notice from the California Department of Housing and Community Development states that Dakota and its development partners, UP Holdings California and RHCB Development, were awarded $48.7 million; the two figures describe different funding scopes that the available records do not reconcile.
Fresno City Councilman Nelson Esparza said he expects the units to fill up quickly once they become available in early 2027, the station reported. That timeline places Dakota alongside other UPholdings projects in the area.
Part of a Broader Veteran Housing Push in Fresno
Dakota's closeout follows the opening of Crossroads Village, an adjacent UPholdings project that converted an old motel into a 145-unit apartment complex that has been open for almost a year, according to the same YourCentralValley.com report. Fresno Housing's first project built specifically for veterans, Renaissance at Parc Grove, opened in 2018 and currently houses about 40 veterans, according to the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials. That complex connects residents with a local veteran-homelessness service provider at no charge and offers classes in budgeting and job training, and it won a 2020 NAHRO Award of Excellence in Affordable Housing.
With construction now closed out, Dakota is preparing to open its doors as the newest addition to that lineup. The project is designed to provide high-quality affordable housing for veterans and their families, with the on-site amenities and support services intended to help residents settle in and thrive once move-ins begin.
