OXNARD : Panel Delays Action on Project Appeal

The state Coastal Commission Tuesday postponed action on an appeal filed by several Oxnard residents who claim that a proposed development project on Oxnard Shores violates a prior agreement.

Members of the Oxnard Shores Community Assn. and Save our Shores say a developer’s plans to build seven three-story houses on a 210-foot lot on the beach side of Mandalay Beach Road, south of West 5th Street, are not in accordance with an out-of-court settlement three years ago.

“The intent of the building standards was that houses could not be built with flat roofs . . . boxy-looking,” said Bill Coopman, chairman of Save Our Shores. The homeowners group sued the city of Oxnard several years ago to ensure that the city adhered to certain guidelines. “We’ve seen an artist’s rendition of the seven houses and they look like tenement apartments,” Coopman said. “They’re out of place here.”

The Oxnard Shores Settlement Agreement says structures cannot be more than 30 feet aboveground with only 50% of the roof reaching that height. The rest of the roof must average 27 1/2 feet or less in height. Although the roofs of the seven planned houses are sloped, they are constructed in such a way that they create a boxlike effect, violating the building standards, said Toni David, president of the Oxnard Shores Community Assn.

Representatives of the Lycon Group of Sherman Oaks, owners of the property, were not available for comment.

Richard Maggio, community development director, said city attorneys have agreed that the houses do follow the formula described in the settlement agreement. The Coastal Commission will act upon the appeal at a later meeting after members have had more time to review it and determine if the project meets the terms and conditions of the earlier agreement, manager James Johnson said.