Selma planning commission recommends City Council certify EIR for Casitas Selma mixed‑use project

The Selma City Planning Commission on Nov. 13 voted to recommend that the City Council certify the final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and adopt the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program for the Casitas Selma mixed‑use project (application 2022‑0030), a proposal to annex roughly 75.3 acres and develop about 39.07 acres immediately west of Highway 99 near Floral Avenue.

Staff described the proposal as a mixed‑use center with about 600 multifamily units (divided by the applicant into 300 market‑rate units, 120 senior units and 180 workforce/affordable units), about 40,000 square feet of commercial retail and restaurant space, a 100‑key hotel and a 3.57‑acre central public park. Staff told commissioners the project is subject to a final EIR (schedule no. 2024070105) and that most impacts can be mitigated to less‑than‑significant levels, though “some impacts remain significant and unavoidable,” consistent with the staff report.

Developer representatives framed the project as workforce housing and a pedestrian‑oriented, mixed‑use infill effort. “We strongly emphasize a pedestrian friendly mixed use project,” said Sal Gonzalez of Lance Cashin and Company during the presentation. The applicant also emphasized prior work in the…