CAMARILLO : Builder Bows Out; City Annexes Site
The Camarillo City Council annexed 90 acres of strawberry fields and church property this week, despite the last-minute pullout of the company that intended to develop the land.
Presley of Southern California withdrew its request to build 259 houses in the project Wednesday after the developer was unable to purchase the land from the owner.
The city went forward with the annexation, however, to help round out the city’s jagged northern border, Assistant City Manager Larry Davis said.
“It was the logical step,” Davis said. “The property is within the city’s sphere of influence, and the planning and environmental impact report had been done and paid for.”
The city also changed the zoning on the property to allow up to four houses per acre. St. Columba’s Episcopal Church sits on the southeast portion of the annexed land, which is north ofLas Posas Road and west of Lantana Street.
The city had intended to annex nearby residences on 37 acres east of Lantana as well. But the residents there objected to becoming part of the city, and Camarillo planners dropped the proposal. Those residences now form an unincorporated island at the city’s north end.
The council had also been scheduled to hear a request by Pardee Construction Co. for approval to build 159 houses on 36 acres west of Mission Oaks Boulevard and north of Santa Rosa Road. The council postponed that decision until Aug. 8.
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