Selma's Amberwood Says "No HOA." Here's Where the Neighborhood's Upkeep Actually Gets Paid

One builder page for Lennar's Amberwood community in Selma carries two lines that are worth reading together. Near the top, it calls Amberwood a master-planned community of new single-family homes "with no HOA dues." Further down, on the plan pages, it lists an "Approximate tax rate" of 1.17% and "Approximate special assessment fees" of $2,441.57.

Both lines are true, and the second one matters more to a buyer's budget. Amberwood has no homeowners association. The costs of keeping up a new neighborhood are still there. Selma has placed them in public arrangements: a 25-year development agreement that made the builder put in the park, and a Mello-Roos services district that collects through the property tax bill. A buyer comparing Amberwood with a resale home across town is comparing two different cost setups, and the listing price shows only part of either one.

With Lennar's community page showing 26 homes available between $337,500 and $600,000 as of late October 2026, and first move-ins expected in December, a lot of buyers are about to run into this.

The Park Came First Because the Contract Said So

Amberwood's park opened on Sept. 12, 2026, before any family had moved in. The Mid Valley Times reported that, according to Lennar, it is the first park to open in Selma since the 1980s. It has a playground, picnic and lounge areas, light fitness equipment, a basketball court and an open grass area.

The timing traces back to a February 2025 council vote. The Amberwood Specific Plan covers 67 acres in northeast Selma, east of Orange Avenue between Floral and Manning avenues. According to Mid Valley Times coverage of the development agreement, the plan sat stalled for years until the city moved ahead with sewer infrastructure for the area. The Selma City Council approved the 25-year agreement unanimously on Feb. 3, 2025.

That agreement made the landowners and developers responsible for building certain infrastructure, including the park and a storm drain basin. It also set a schedule. Lennar had to submit park plans once it had built 50 homes and finish the park by the 100th home, so the city would not end up with hundreds of new houses and no open space nearby.

The park was open months before the first move-ins Lennar expected in December. At the ribbon cutting, Lennar division president Jason Glasgow explained what the park means to the company, as the Mid Valley Times reported:

"It's not an amenity on a checklist, it's where kids learn to ride their bikes, it's where neighbors meet each other and become friends, and it's where those people become a community."

The agreement also locks in the development impact fees builders pay the city. Those fees can rise each year with the Consumer Price Index, but builders who sign on will not owe any new fee categories the city adds while the agreement runs. Those are costs builders pay up front. Running the neighborhood afterward is paid for in a different way.

Where an HOA Would Normally Sit

Amberwood was originally designed to have an HOA. A January 2025 city staff report on the development agreement explains that the original plan called for gated communities with private local streets maintained by an Amberwood Homeowners' Association. The revised plan allows the local streets to be public and built to City standards, dedicated to the City once the maps record. The developer agreed to pay its share of maintenance on those local streets through an assessment or financing district, such as a Community Facilities District or a Landscaping, Lighting, and Maintenance District. The same report separately describes roughly four miles of new arterial and collector public streets that will fall to the City's street maintenance program.

For the first phase, Selma has since used a Mello-Roos services district. On Nov. 18, 2025, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 2025-119R. It approved the final map for Tract 6244 and declared the city's intention to annex that tract into Community Facilities District No. 2006-01, which the city calls "City of Selma Services," and to establish a new "Zone B" for the annexed area. The city's public hearing notice says the action falls under the Mello-Roos Community Facilities Act of 1982. Citizen Portal reported that the council approved Resolution 2026-02R on Feb. 3, 2026, completing the annexation of Amberwood Phase 1. It also reported that assessments begin only after parcels are sold and occupied.

Here is how the pieces line up for an Amberwood buyer:

The county's records point to one more difference that matters for the budget. Fresno County's FY 2025-26 tax rate book lists "SELMA CFD 2006-1" under tax code 6952, in the section for special assessments that are not based on assessed value. The same book shows 1.171458% for many Selma tax rate areas, which matches Lennar's rounded 1.17%. The ad valorem portion of the bill goes up or down with the price you pay. A charge not based on assessed value follows its own formula, so a $337,500 home and a $600,000 home in the same zone may carry similar special-tax lines. That makes the special tax a larger share of the yearly cost on the lower-priced homes.

The Number to Ask For Before You Sign

Lennar's $2,441.57 figure is labeled as approximate special assessment fees, and the plan page does not say what period it covers or what it includes. The governing figures are in the documents behind the district. The hearing notice says the boundary map, the Rate and Method of Apportionment and the Resolution of Intention for CFD 2006-01, Zone B are on file with the Selma City Clerk at 1710 Tucker Street.

Before you compare an Amberwood home with a resale home, gather these:

1. The Rate and Method of Apportionment for Zone B. It sets how the special tax is calculated, whether it can rise each year and for how long it runs.
2. The Resolution of Intention, No. 2025-119R. It identifies the services the special tax pays for in Zone B.
3. The builder's tax and assessment estimate for the specific homesite. Ask what period the $2,441.57 figure covers.
4. The parcel's tax rate area. Many Selma areas sit at 1.171458% in the FY 2025-26 book, but some Selma areas carry different rates.
5. A recent tax bill for any resale home you're weighing. Older Selma neighborhoods may carry their own assessment lines, so compare bill against bill.

Fresno County has said 2026-27 secured property tax bills would be viewable online in the last week of October 2026. By early November, a current bill for a resale address should be available through the county's property tax information page.

Putting the Price Next to the County

The special tax matters because Amberwood's starting price looks so favorable. For September 2026, the California Association of Realtors reported a Fresno County median sold price of $429,450 for existing single-family homes. That was down 3.5% from September 2025. Amberwood's lowest current price, $337,500, is more than $90,000 below that county figure.

That gap is real, but it compares a new home with countywide resale homes of every size and age, and it compares sticker prices only. A buyer setting the two side by side should add the yearly special tax to the Amberwood side of the ledger. On the resale side, add whatever that particular home's tax bill and repair needs look like.

The county market also gives buyers some room to do that math. In September 2026, Fresno County had 4.2 months of unsold inventory, up from 3.7 months a year earlier. Median time on market was 24 days, and sales were down 10.5% year over year. With more homes on the market and fewer sales, buyers generally have time to request documents and compare total costs before committing.

More homes will be offered under the same setup. Mayor Scott Robertson said at the ribbon cutting that the first phase is about 270 homes, with two more phases to follow and a potential total buildout of about 900 homes. Phase 1 is in Zone B. How later phases will be taxed will depend on whatever the council approves for those tracts.

Short Answers

Does "no HOA" mean no monthly or yearly charges beyond the mortgage?

No. Amberwood Phase 1, Tract 6244, was annexed into Selma's CFD 2006-01, a Mello-Roos services district, and the special tax is collected on the property tax bill once a parcel is sold and occupied.

Is the CFD the same as the impact fees in the development agreement?

No. Builders pay development impact fees to the city under the 2025 agreement, with CPI adjustments. The CFD special tax is an ongoing charge on the parcel after the sale.

Where is Amberwood?

Lennar lists the sales location at Floral Avenue and Dockery Avenue in Selma, near Highway 99.

This post is general information about public records and isn't legal, tax or financial advice. Please confirm the special tax and bill for any specific parcel with the City of Selma, the county and your own tax or legal professional.

At Boyd & Associates, we help Central Valley buyers lay an Amberwood homesite next to a resale home, special tax and all, before they write an offer. Schedule a Consultation, and we'll help you gather the Zone B documents and county tax bills so you can compare the full yearly cost of both homes.