OXNARD : City May Pay Firm to Find Sites for Shelter

The Oxnard City Council will decide today whether to pay an Oxnard firm $17,970 to identify nine potential relocation sites for the Zoe Christian Center, the county’s largest homeless shelter.

Zoe’s operations in Oxnard have been in danger since the council decided last year not to renew a special operating permit because of the center’s proximity to a fertilizer company where hazardous chemicals are stored.

After strong lobbying by Supervisor John K. Flynn and Councilwoman Dorothy Maron, the council agreed last June to help find a permanent site for Zoe.

If approved, the contract would require Coen and Associates, a real estate consulting company, to submit a report of the potential sites no later than April 19. The sites must accommodate a shelter serving 180 to 200 homeless people with enough space for a cafeteria, a school, a storage area and a front office, the report said.

The nine sites selected by the firm would be considered by the council along with three sites selected by city officials and three chosen by Zoe representatives.

Coen and Associates would be expected to identify any adverse conditions on the sites, including toxic chemicals in the soil, poor drainage and conflicting zoning issues.

Housing Director Sal Gonzalez said city officials have not decided whether the final relocation site will be bought by Zoe, the city of Oxnard or jointly by Oxnard and the city of Ventura, which has offered $200,000 to develop a homeless shelter in the area.