Disputed Low-Income Apartment Complex Debated : Oxnard: Developer of proposed 32-unit project seeks to dispel concerns raised by neighbors by taking steps to minimize noise and provide for residents’ safety.

The Oxnard City Council on Tuesday discussed building a 32-unit, low-income apartment house in the city’s downtown district, a project that provoked neighbors’ complaints about potential increases in noise, traffic and crime.

The $5-million development, proposed by the Cabrillo Economic Development Corp., is designed to replace housing demolished by the city as part of its downtown redevelopment efforts.

More than 100 supporters and critics of the project squared off Tuesday in a heated debate over whether the complex should be allowed in downtown Oxnard. The council had not reached a decision by press time.

“We have designed what we believe to be a high-quality development with open space, recreation facilities and built with quality materials,” Cabrillo’s executive director, Rodney Fernandez, told council members. “We believe this project will be something the city will be proud of.”

But residents of a nearby mobile-home park and owners of a neighboring motel opposed the project, saying it was incompatible with their neighborhood.

“The people in the 32 units will be stacked on top of each other like sardines,” nearby resident Consuelo Gersten said.

Cabrillo representatives have met with nearby residents and business owners in recent weeks to try to show the positive aspects of their project. But Cabrillo has had little success.

In fact, a letter to the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development from the owners of the Regal Lodge motel prompted the federal agency to temporarily withhold $263,000 that the city had requested.

The owners questioned the safety of the proposed apartment site, saying children would be forced to cross busy Oxnard Boulevard on their way to school.

On Tuesday, however, Cabrillo officials said children living at Villa Solimar would instead attend Cesar E. Chavez School, so they would not be required to cross Oxnard Boulevard.

Project Manager Karen Flock said she was confident that HUD officials would eventually approve the grant.

Cabrillo officials met with project critics twice since the Feb. 1 meeting and agreed to change certain elements of the complex to address concerns.

To minimize noise from the apartments, Cabrillo agreed to reduce the number of windows facing the Royal Palms Mobile Home Park, use double-glazed windows and replace railings with solid walls on the apartment balconies.

Cabrillo officials disputed fears that the high-density housing project would boost crime in the downtown area, but agreed to install three security gates to control access to the development.

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Flock said the presence of an on-site manager, together with the addition of 32 families to the neighborhood, would actually serve to reduce crime by increasing the number of residents participating in a Neighborhood Watch program.

Others spoke in support of the project. Sister Carmen Rodriguez of St. John’s Community Outreach Project said the affordable housing was sorely needed in the community.

“What’s the alternative?” she asked. “I see families living in run-down, substandard conditions. Families living in garages with no electricity and no running water. I think we need to take a risk sometimes.”

But those sentiments failed to sway mobile-home residents and owners of the Regal Lodge.

“Planning a residential complex in an industrial and commercial area is not good planning,” said Clifford Brown, a resident of Royal Palms. “It will be an island.”

The project would replace 77 units of housing that the city has removed from the downtown redevelopment area. State law requires cities to replace such housing within four years, and Oxnard is approaching the deadline with no other replacement housing on the horizon, city officials said.