FILLMORE : Council Approves Housing Project

The Fillmore City Council has approved a new development proposal for an 88-unit affordable housing project, despite strong objections from the Fillmore Unified School District.

The apartment project, awarded to Del Development Corp. of Santa Paula, will be located on 11.9 acres at Rivers Street, between Central Avenue and California 23. Located in 11 separate buildings, each 987-square-foot unit will contain two bedrooms, a bathroom, living room, dining room and kitchen.

Supt. David Haney said Fillmore’s overcrowded classrooms would not be able to handle the influx of new students that the project is expected to bring. The capacity of the district’s schools is 3,030 students, but enrollment is 3,412.

Del Development will pay a developer’s fee of $2.65 per square foot--the most the state allows--to offset the impact of new students. A district study shows that the city would need to collect $6.71 to mitigate the development’s impact on the schools, Haney said. “We’re not opposed to development, but we need full mitigation fees for the schools,” he said.

The project was approved Tuesday by a vote of 3 to 1, with Mayor Michael McMahan absent. Councilman Scott Lee dissented.

Lee said that while he approves of the project in general, he said that the city’s Growth Ordinance Plan does not match the General Plan, which allows for more units to be built.

Councilman Roger Campbell voted for the project, but said he had some reservations.

“I don’t want the schools degraded by development that is running rampant without being responsible,” Campbell said.

The average rent at the complex will be about $750 monthly, said Scott Anderson, a general partner with Del Development.

Construction could begin within six months, he said.