OXNARD : Council to Address Rents, Fees, School

Oxnard’s City Council is expected to act Tuesday on proposals concerning mobile home rent control, developer fees and a new site for Oxnard High School.

The mobile home measure, which would decontrol rents of vacant units, is supported by owners of mobile home parks but opposed by individual mobile home owners, who say the threat of large rent increases would make it difficult to sell their units.

The current law, limiting increases on vacant units to $50 a month, has prompted a multimillion-dollar lawsuit by park owners against the city.

City Atty. Gary L. Gillig said the park owners have tentatively agreed to drop the action if vacancy decontrol is enacted.

Council members will also be asked to approve, pending further study, some builders’ fee hikes that created an uproar among developers when they were proposed in June.

After warnings from some builders that increased costs would force them to leave the city, some of the fees were lowered but others were raised, said Michael Gibson, Community Development Department management analyst.

He said, for example, that the charge for studies of proposed projects’ impact on traffic originally was raised 79% but that the hike now stands at 117%.

Gibson noted, however, that overall increases in Planning Division fees went down--from 36.2% to 24.5%.

As part of the fee schedule being considered, all increases will be impounded pending a review by an outside auditor, Gibson said.

In another major issue, the council will be asked to annex a proposed new Oxnard High School site into the city, although some residents of the nearby Summerfield and River Ridge developments oppose having the school in their neighborhood.

Two alternative parcels near the proposed site at Patterson and Gonzales roads would also be annexed.

School officials want to relocate the school because they say it is too close to Oxnard Airport.

The developers’ fees and school site issues will be taken up during the 1:30 p.m. council session.

The mobile home rent matter is scheduled for an evening meeting starting at 7 p.m.