Mayor Lee Brand today officially announced an agreement between the City of Fresno and San Francisco-based Gap Inc., to purchase 4.8 acres of land on Airways Boulevard for $1, with the intention of building a state-of-the-art, no-kill animal shelter on the site. Gap Inc. has also announced the intention to gift over five acres of land to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Fresno County which will provide the organization with ongoing financial stability.
The completed agreement for the animal shelter is expected to be brought to the Fresno City Council for approval at their February 13th meeting. By then, the agreement between the Boys & Girls Clubs of Fresno County and Gap Inc. is also expected to be completed.
“Gap Inc. has partnered closely with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Fresno County for many years, and we feel this donation will address multiple needs of this community that we call home,” said Shawn Curran, EVP, Global Supply Chain, and Product Operations, Gap Inc. “We are proud to be a part of the Fresno community and are thrilled that we could gift this land to the City for causes that will benefit the region and are important to our employees.”
Gap Inc. is a leading global retailer offering clothing, accessories, and personal care products for men, women, and children under the Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, Athleta, Intermix, Janie and Jack, and Hill City brands.
“We are very excited to receive such a tremendous and valuable gift to our Boys & Girls Club. It is transformational to our organization in enhancing our resources for serving over 5,500 youth in Fresno County,” said Diane Carbray, President and CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of Fresno County.
The 4.8-acre parcel in the agreement is an ideal fit for the City’s needs and provides more than enough room for future expansion. The parcel is part of the approximately 200 acres of land adjacent to Fresno Yosemite International Airport that the City sold to Gap Inc. commencing in 1997 to build a distribution center.
“We looked at a number of locations around Fresno that would be suitable for a new animal shelter and this property is by far the best site because it’s centrally located and close to the Airport,” said Mayor Brand. “Gap Inc. has been a great corporate partner since the 1990’s and they’ve invested significantly in our city by adding their West Coast e-commerce fulfillment center to its distribution facility in 2018 and bringing over 500 good-paying new jobs to Fresno. Gap Inc.’s generous gesture shows the importance of that investment and the depth of their concern for the community where their team members live, work, raise their families and play. On behalf of the people of Fresno and all of our four-legged friends, I say thank you very much to Gap Inc. for stepping up to the plate in a very big way.”
The land purchase is the second step in a multi-step process of opening a state-of-the-art animal shelter in Fresno. The first step occurred on January 16, 2020 when the City Council awarded the design contract for the shelter to a group led by Tim Simons of Northstar General. This project, which is projected to be completed in the summer of next year, aligns perfectly with the Governor’s initiative to make California a no-kill shelter state.
While construction of the shelter is taking place, the City is working in harmony with the Central California Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (CCSPCA) to continue providing quality animal control services and protecting animal health and welfare in the community.
