The bottom floor of “Rooftop at Park Place” inside the old Selma high School gym will be retail with 15 units and two penthouses on the upper floors. Photo contributed

The need for housing for young professionals inspired one developer to turn to his hometown’s old high school gym.

Anthony Mosley, president with Sacramento-based Bulldog Economic Development and Housing, Inc., got the OK from Selma City Council Dec. 16 to transform the former Selma High School gymnasium into 15 units of luxury apartments, including two penthouses with ground floor retail. And he’s already gotten a commitment from one fellow former student athlete for a wine tasting room to locate there.

He’s working with business partner Zoritha Thompson.

With the rise of remote work and increasing interest in the Central Valley from Bay Area residents, Mosley saw the potential for luxury apartments in a city like Selma.

Taking their cue from larger urban areas, many small Central Valley towns have zoned their downtowns for mixed use. Mosley wanted something that would fit that trend.

What’s being called “Rooftop at Park Place” would include 15 studio and one-bedroom apartments in the 16,800 square-foot building. The rooms would be between 400 and 500 square feet, suited for single professionals looking for a space where they can live and play. Two other penthouses would also be available at 1,300 and 2,200 square feet.

 

On the bottom floor would be 5,000 square feet of retail. Former Fresno State basketball player Demetrius Porter signed a commitment to open the first storefront and tasting room for his wine company Center Cork, Mosley said. Mosley wants another tenant that would complement the tasting room. The space, which includes access to the roof, could accommodate events.

Mosley is also adding a movie theater for tenants, a business room, gymnasium and community room. He’s reached out to other local athletes for signed memorabilia to use to adorn a community room.

Mosley purchased the building at 1826 Rose Ave. in August for $600,000. He estimates upon completion the building would be worth $4.8 million. It was originally built in 1953.

In the years since the new Selma High School was built, the former gym has seen various uses including different restaurants and clubs. Of the original campus, only the gym still stands. Supported by steel and cedar, Mosley said the building itself is “in excellent condition.”

Getting the project completed should take 12 months, he anticipates, likening the work to more of a “tenant improvement” than a complete overhaul.

Mosley has done three other similar projects, he said. One was to convert a school in West Sacramento into a five-unit apartment complex.

Though other studio apartments have been approved in Selma, there still doesn’t exist a project like Mosley’s, he says. So, his project didn’t fit the feasibility studies.

“There’s nothing I believe in the Valley to compare it to and so it’s unique. And sometimes unique is not a good thing,” Mosley said. It’s taken six months to find comparable projects.

In lieu of the feasibility study, his lender, Mid-Valley Loans, requested approval from the Selma City Council.

A letter from Selma Mayor Scott Robertson to Mid-Valley Loans said the project “will address needs within the community and will be a centerpiece for future cultural, commercial, residential activities to converge.”

Mosely is a former Selma High and Fresno State football player and member of the Selma Athletic Hall of Fame from 2013. He also played in the National Football League. Upon retirement from the NFL, Mosley settled in the Sacramento area and operated an athletic training and coaching business.