Selma Council approves Casitas development; council cites housing, park and infrastructure commitments

The Selma City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to approve a package of land-use entitlements for the Selma Casitas mixed-use project, including certification of the final environmental impact report (EIR), a general-plan amendment and pre-zone, approval of a vesting tentative subdivision map and site plan review, and initiation of annexation.

City staff said the final EIR evaluated a full range of environmental topics and concluded most impacts could be reduced through mitigation, but that operational air quality, greenhouse gas emissions and cumulative vehicle miles traveled (VMT) remain significant and unavoidable. As a result, if the council elects to approve the project it must adopt a Statement of Overriding Considerations as part of CEQA compliance.

Developer Sal Gonzalez of River Park Properties presented the project as a mixed-use neighborhood with housing, a central park and commercial components. Architect Scott Beck showed slides describing the site program (he described the plan as a 39‑acre site in his presentation) and listed components including a roughly 3.5‑acre central park, 120 senior-affordable units, 180 family-affordable units, 300 market-rate family units, and commercial space with a 100‑key hotel. City staff’s packet and the annexation language describe the annexation as approximately 75.3 acres; that discrepancy in cited acreage was evident in the hearing record and will be clarified in follow-up materials and the development agreement.

Public comment split along familiar lines. Resident Dwight Nelson urged the council to prioritize a large retailer (he said “This property should be Costco”) and pressed for a wider Stillman roadway, citing traffic and historic circulation plans. Other speakers, including Theresa Salmas and Sandy Niswander, supported the proposal as a necessary source of housing and neighborhood amenities. Council members repeatedly pressed the developer on traffic mitigation, pedestrian safety, school-bus accommodations and property-management commitments.

The developer described an infrastructure-first approach, saying roads and utilities would be built early, and outlined security and property‑management plans that include surveillance cameras and regular coordination with law enforcement. Sal Gonzalez told the council the firm will work closely with local police and property managers to manage security and tenant issues.

During council deliberations staff reiterated the project will be subject to a Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (MMRP) and any development agreement returned to council for approval, and noted some mitigation measures have timing requirements that must be enforced during construction. The council approved the EIR certification and entitlements in a series of motions (see “Votes at a glance”).

Next steps include completion of the development agreement, implementation of the MMRP and initiating the annexation/reorganization process per the approved motion. The council directed staff to return with the formal development agreement and with the final technical clarifications on acreage, fair-share traffic improvements, parking counts and details of security and property-management commitments.