Emotions Run High in Debate Over Mall : Oxnard: Proponents say the regional shopping center will bring jobs. Opponents decry loss of their neighborhoods.

Shedding tears and exchanging harsh words, Oxnard residents went toe to toe Tuesday night in the long-running debate over whether to build a regional shopping center in the middle of a strawberry field on the city’s northwest side.

The project, known as “Shopping at the Rose,” is expected to generate more than $2 million a year in sales tax revenue for the city and create as many as 1,500 jobs.

More than 100 residents packed a public hearing at City Hall to debate the merits of the project before the Oxnard City Council.

Men in hard hats and work boots held hand-painted signs in support of the shopping center.

But most in attendance accused city leaders of caring more about money than people.

“I love Oxnard and I am troubled by the way it’s going,” said Shirley Turner, a resident of the Rio Lindo neighborhood that would be most affected by the center.

“What’s this going to do to our neighborhoods?” Turner added. “I think we’re going to lose.”

The project, a 592,000-square-foot complex, is proposed for 62 acres at Rose Avenue and Gonzales Road and would be anchored by a Wal-Mart store and a Sam’s Club.

The center is planned for an area that is home to the city’s auto center and a variety of other high-volume shopping outlets. City staff members predict that the city’s northwest section soon will become a powerful “retail magnet” that will draw customers from throughout Ventura County and beyond.

“We know what this project will do and I have concluded it is good for the majority of our citizens,” said Dale Dean, an Oxnard planning commissioner. “The main risk I see in this project is its delay.”

Since the project was proposed months ago, however, area residents have been less than sold on the shopping center.

They have complained about pollution and traffic that would be generated by the project. They have charged that the new center would hurt sales at existing businesses and they have questioned the need for a new shopping center in Oxnard when so many retail outlets throughout the city remain vacant.

Some residents even questioned whether the City Council bothered to listen to opposition voices during public hearing sessions.

“It’s in my back yard and I really don’t believe you really care,” said Rio Lindo resident Naomi Knox, wiping away tears. “I feel sorry for all of you who are going for the money. I’m really disappointed in all of you.”

Despite opposition to Shopping at the Rose, developers and city staff members argued that the proposed project is good for economically troubled Oxnard.

They said it is expected to create as many as 1,500 jobs and is expected to generate $800,000 in new sales tax in its first full year of operation.

By its 10th year of business, city staff has estimated, the project would be pumping out $2.5 million a year in sales tax revenue that could go directly into the city coffers to pay for police, fire and other public services.

Representatives of 24 labor unions were on hand to lend support to the project. Laborers urged the City Council to approve the shopping center and put people back to work.

“For every project that is being built, someone has a complaint of ‘not in my back yard,’ ” said Wayne Catalano, a member of a local carpenters’ union. “But we need jobs. We are driving business out of Oxnard.”