OXNARD : Planners to Back High-Rise Appeal

Oxnard planning officials will support an appeal tonight by Wells Fargo Bank to build a 12-story office building in northeast Oxnard after it was rejected as too massive by the Oxnard Planning Commission in November.

Wells Fargo proposed constructing the 221,000-square-foot office building on a 6.5-acre parcel in the Sammis Business Center south of Ventura Freeway and west of Rice Avenue. The project would include a separate, three-story parking facility.

Under the initial plan, the building’s floor area exceeded the amount permitted in the Business and Research Park zone where the parcel is located, planners said.

The proposed 192-foot height also exceeded the 35-foot maximum called for in the Business and Research Park.

Because of the discrepancies, Wells Fargo applied for a special use permit, which would allow it to build above the zoning limits.

But the flat-topped design also conflicted with Oxnard’s 2020 General Plan that requires builders to adhere to design guidelines to create “a varied and interesting skyline.”

Richard Maggio, Oxnard’s community development director, said in a report that the city should approve the building because the benefits outweigh any adverse impacts. But Maggio recommended that Wells Fargo redesign the office building to meet the standards of the 2020 General Plan.

The appeal is scheduled to be discussed at a public hearing before the Oxnard City Council. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at Oxnard City Hall.