Firm to Locate Sites for Shelter
An Oxnard real estate consulting firm will be paid $17,970 to identify nine potential relocation sites for the county’s largest homeless shelter, the Oxnard City Council unanimously decided Tuesday.
The council voted last year not to renew a special operating permit for the Zoe Christian Center on South Rose Avenue because of its proximity to a fertilizer company where hazardous chemicals are stored.
The contract was given to Coen and Associates and requires the firm to submit a report of the potential sites no later than April 19, according to a city report.
Coen & Associates is expected to identify any adverse conditions on the sites, including toxic chemicals in the soil, poor drainage and conflicting zoning issues.
The sites must accommodate a shelter serving 180 to 200 homeless people with enough space for a cafeteria, school, storage area and front office, the report said.
City officials have not decided whether the final relocation site will be purchased by Zoe, by 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.
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