OXNARD : Construction Slows as New Business Rises

A mixed economic report for the first three months of 1990 shows that building activity in Oxnard has fallen off 13%, while the number of new businesses is up 18%.

Overall, however, the report by the Economic Development Advisory Commission was welcomed by city officials as evidence that the area remains in a strong economic position.

The report said that during the first three months of the year, 428 building permits were issued, with a total value of $26.8 million in construction costs, a $3.6-million drop from the same period in 1989.

The decrease reflects a $2.8-million decrease in residential construction, a $67,000 decrease in commercial and industrial construction, and a $723,000 decrease in other types of construction, including additions to existing buildings. Although building activity is down, officials said, the city is benefiting from the surge in construction two years ago with the building of the Channel Islands Business Park and the Marketplace at Plaza del Norte.

At the same time, 123 business licenses were issued through March, an increase of 22 licenses over the previous year. Most of the licenses were for retail and service-related businesses.

Between November and March, the average unemployment rate in Oxnard dipped from 7.35% to 6.6%, partly because of an increase in agricultural employment, the report said.