Blog Post Assignment 2

By Xia Vue
          El Dorado Park is a approximately 30 acres and the home of multifamily residential apartments. These apartment complexes are located adjacent to the Bulldog Stadium and the local California State University of Fresno, CSUF. El Dorado Park was originally developed for the students attending the university. It was the perfect and ideal location for students since the mortgage rates were affordable. But due to its fixed location for low income students, it was inevitable for negative externalities to develop over time. Over the past 15-20 years, El Dorado Park’s residents slowly transitioned from majority of students to low income families and individuals seeking affordable housing (History).

          With student residents slowly being replaced with low income families and individuals, El Dorado Park began to undergo changes that would greatly affect the community. Crime within this isolated location has been a problem over the past recent decades. During the 1990’s, each year El Dorado Park was statistically responsible for nearly 9% of crime rates in the city of Fresno (Waterhouse). These crime reports ranged from various criminal acts of gang violence, car theft, burglary, drive by shootings and vandalism. Those responsible for these various criminal acts ranged from teenagers to young adults. 

          But crime wasn't the only problem this community was suffering from. The living conditions were at an all time low and below housing code standards. Most apartments were reported of having exposed electrical wirings, appliance and plumbing issues, and pest control. Doors and windows were also shattered and broken with no signs of future repair. The property too were below city codes and regulations. A prime example would be the sidewalks. Majority of the sidewalks have cracks and numerous tripping hazards. With all these problems of crime and living conditions, El Dorado Park became an unsuitable and undesirable location for many citizens.

          In 2009, El Dorado Park’s Community Development Corporation, EDPCDC, set out on a mission to revitalize it’s community. This non-profit organization is determined to “create a beautiful and crime free neighborhood in El Dorado Park where residents can live safely” (Mission). The EDPCDC will focus towards remodeling the existing building structures. Reconstructing and replacing the property can help bring them up to health and safety standards, making them more attractable to the community. To minimize crime, their current goal is to include more local security and neighborhood watch programs. Having more police and security is great step forward to reducing crime rates.  EPDCDC will also partner with other agencies as well as students from CSUF in it’s quest to revitalize El Dorado Park. The revision of El Dorado Park will not happen overnight, but the outcome will be well worth it. 

          El Dorado Park is a prime example how outside forces can truly effect the property use and value. It was originally meant to be affordable for CSUF students due to it‘s fixed location near the campus. But affordable housing can sometimes attract unplanned consumers. This is an issue that developers must focus on during the pre-commitment phases of real estate development. There will always be unknown risks in the real estate market but with proper planning, these issues can be avoided.

Works Cited

"History - El Dorado Park CDC." El Dorado Park CDC RSS. El Dorado Park CDC RSS, n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2013. <http://www.edpcdc.org/el-dorado-park/history/>.

"Mission Statement." El Dorado Park CDC RSS. El Dorado Park CDC RSS, n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2013. <http://www.edpcdc.org/about-us/our-mission/>.
Waterhouse, Dan. "El Dorado Park: Revitalization or Gentrification?" Community Alliance. Community Alliance, 1 Oct. 2011. Web. 14 Apr. 2013. <http://fresnoalliance.com/wordpress/?p=3634>.