Santa Paula Voters Reject Home Plan

For the second time in two months, Santa Paula voters have rejected a proposed residential community, leaving some city leaders wondering whether any development project can win approval.

Tuesday’s vote against allowing more than 2,100 homes and apartments in Fagan Canyon was closely watched by the city’s largest employer. Citrus grower Limoneira Co. plans to develop more than 500 acres it owns east of town into 1,500 homes and an industrial park.

Because the project is outside city limits, it will need voter approval. The company hopes to put it on the ballot by fall 2007.

“In terms of its impact on Limoneira, I have grave concerns,” Councilwoman Mary Ann Krause said Wednesday. “In terms of another developer coming in to build in the canyons, I think this closes the door on that idea.”

Mayor Rick Cook said the city had hoped to use revenue from the Fagan Canyon development to help fund a needed $70-million sewage treatment plant and to raise the salaries of its employees, who are among the lowest-paid municipal workers in Ventura County.

“I hope people understand that those who voted against it, and all the rest of us, will eventually start to pay more for city services,” Cook said.

About 37% of the city’s 10,487 registered voters turned out Tuesday -- and 2,039, about 53% of the vote, rejected the development.

The developer, Centex Homes, spent about $1.5 million promoting Measure E6 and received 1,833 votes, or 47% of the ballots cast, according to unofficial election night returns.

Ventura County election officials have 30,000 absentee ballots countywide left to tally, but the Santa Paula results are not expected to change.

“One of the messages we heard is that Santa Paula doesn’t want to change. Santa Paula wants to remain the same,” Centex spokeswoman Diane Gaynor said. “If that’s the case, then maybe we’re not a good partner for them.”

She blamed the low turnout on voter fatigue: having two city land-use elections within seven weeks and a lengthy ballot of primary candidates.

“We’re dumbfounded, because there was so much at stake,” Gaynor said. “Now we won’t be there to pick up the costs for essential services that will now go on the backs of Santa Paula taxpayers. They had a great opportunity.”

Centex had long characterized the 2,155-home plan as its best and final offer and threatened to abandon Santa Paula if this project was not accepted by voters.

Leaders of this rural hamlet of about 29,000 northeast of Ventura along California 126 have been counting on a large developer to work with the city to create upscale housing, attract more middle-class residents and shore up an ailing tax base.

In April, voters rejected Adams Preserve, a luxury development in Adams Canyon proposed by Pinnacle Development Group. It would have included 495 multimillion-dollar homes on lots averaging 12 acres, along with a 200-room luxury hotel and spa, a private 18-hole golf course and a country club.

The turnout then was higher -- 44% -- and the plan lost by only 107 votes.

The Centex plan was expected to generate at least $3 million annually in property tax revenues and boost sales tax receipts by about $12 million a year. Gaynor said new retail outlets also would have created about 200 jobs.

Mike Penrod of Westlake Village, a land-use consultant hired by Limoneira to help it with its residential project, said the close margins in the two elections were encouraging to Limoneira, a Santa Paula institution for 113 years.

“The last two guys got awfully, awfully close to winning,” he said. “Much closer than anyone else.”

And real estate agent John Wisda, a leader of the Fagan Canyon opposition group known as We CARE (Citizens Advocating Responsible Expansion), said he agrees that Santa Paula remains an attractive place for builders. The secret to winning voter approval, he said, is listening to residents and keeping projects small enough so as not to harm the environment or substantially increase traffic.

“You can’t say we’re scaring developers away, because we want quality projects,” Wisda said. “Some developer will step in there at Fagan Canyon and make a whole lot of money.”

Rick Bianchi, director of community development for Centex Homes’ operations in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, said it may be years before another builder offers a plan for Fagan Canyon.

“We were responding to the young people who wanted to live near where they grew up, families who wanted new softball fields and better schools. We got about as close as humanly possible to making the greatest number of people happy,” Bianchi said. “I really do wish this town well. I hope they get what they want.”