Council Again Backs Factory Outlet Complex : Development: Members override appeals of Planning Commission vote that approved the 22-acre Camarillo project.

The Camarillo City Council--for the second time in 14 months--has rejected appeals of the Planning Commission’s approval of a factory outlet mall and given its formal blessing to the project.

After a sometimes tense four-hour public hearing during which council members questioned the motives of appeals filed by the Oxnard Union High School District and Camarillo resident John Johs, the council voted unanimously late Wednesday to approve the facility. The 22-acre project will be south of the Ventura Freeway between Carmen Drive and Las Posas Road.

A third appeal, filed by Ventura County, was withdrawn Wednesday after county officials said they were satisfied that road improvements to be built in conjunction with the mall could handle the extra traffic generated by the project.

Camarillo Mayor Ken Gose said he remained convinced that the project was thoroughly researched and would benefit the city. The council first voted unanimously for the project in January, 1993.

“I have absolutely no qualms about this project,” Gose said. “I believe this will benefit our community. The presentation tonight by our staff made my decision one of the easier ones that I’ve had to make recently.”

Even with the council’s decision, Camarillo is lagging behind Oxnard in a race to build the county’s first factory outlet mall. While the Camarillo project will not break ground until July, the Oxnard project, about five miles away between Rose and Rice avenues, is already well under construction.

The Camarillo project has faced a host of bureaucratic and legal problems.

In January, 1993, after the project was first approved by the Planning Commission, the council heard appeals and voted to uphold the commission’s decision.

Soon after, however, Oxnard developer Stephen Maulhardt and retired Camarillo businessman Richard Lundberg filed a Superior Court lawsuit charging that city officials had failed to assess the project’s full environmental impact. Last summer, a judge ordered a full environmental impact review and ruled that a proposed tax rebate to the developer, Los Angeles-based Koll Co., amounted to a gift of public funds.

Despite the legal setback, the developers continued with plans to build the mall. Camarillo officials, calculating that the mall would generate between $400,000 and $475,000 annually in sales tax revenues for the city, agreed to pay for the environmental impact report.

After the environmental review was published in late 1993, the developers asked the commission to reconsider the proposal, which the commission again approved. A few days after that, the three most recent appeals were filed, forcing the matter back before the council.

Before Wednesday’s vote, the council questioned the motives of the appellants. Oxnard school officials based their appeal on a claim that the district would be adversely impacted by the numbers of families with school-age children that the project would draw to the area.

However, city planning and legal staff members said the project will contribute the maximum amount of development fees to the district allowed by state law.

School district officials declined to comment on the decision Thursday.

When the council considered Johs’ appeal, members questioned why he objected to the project on the basis of its impacts on traffic and the Oxnard school district.

Councilman Michael Morgan asked Johs why he was registered to vote in Oxnard and has his automobile registered there if he claims to be a Camarillo resident.

Johs responded that he was legitimately concerned about the project’s impacts on the school district and traffic, and accused the council of engaging in “character attacks.”

After Johs was asked by Morgan whether his mother, Ann Johs, had once served as an Oxnard City Council member and president of the Oxnard Chamber of Commerce, Johs accused the council of raising a personal line of questioning that had no bearing on his right to appeal the project.

“I am a legal resident of Camarillo,” Johs said. “There is nothing politically motivated about what I am doing here.”

Most of the lengthy hearing was taken up by consultant and staff readings of the environmental impact report. After the hearing, the council uniformly praised the project and quickly approved it.

“I’m very concerned about people’s motives in this situation,” Morgan said. “But regarding the mall itself, I have no questions. The staff report answered them all. I’m happy with this project.”

Koll Co. spokesman Peter Tilton said he was pleased with the council’s decision and its support of the mall.

“We are definitely encouraged,” he said. “We remain confident this project will be good for our company and partners, and good for the city.”

NEXT STEP

Despite possible legal challenges, the Camarillo Factory Outlet Mall groundbreaking has been tentatively set for July. Completion of the first of two phases planned for the 22-acre development is expected by late fall, officials said. Tenants for the 250,000-square-foot mall have not been announced.