School District Says Builder Owes $245,000

Developers of a factory outlet mall in Camarillo should pay the area high school district nearly $245,000 to offset the cost of educating new students that the project will bring to the area, Oxnard Union High School District officials said.

But developers of the mall have called the request “out of line” and said they have reached an impasse in their negotiations with the district.

“We’re aware of the financial constraints faced by the public schools,” said Steven L. Craig, president of Newport Beach-based Chelsea GCA. “I think we have shown in good faith our willingness to contribute to the community where we do business.”

The district claims that the 70-store mall may bring as many as 30 new students to the school system, which will cost the district approximately $460,000 in one-time expense to create additional classroom space

The district needs more than the state-mandated 27-cents-per-square-foot fee, or about $30,000 in this case, officials said. The district is requesting $243,000 in developer fees to be used to buy two new student computer laboratories.

“We are not trying to stop the development of the mall,” said Bob Brown, assistant superintendent for business services. “What we are trying to do is secure adequate fees to lessen the impact of this development on our district.”

The conflict, the most recent stumbling block in the development of the embattled outlet mall, comes two weeks after the City Council approved the project for the second time. The City Council first approved the mall in January, 1993, but the project was held up by a lawsuit that ended with a judge’s order for an environmental impact report.

The judge also ordered the city to abandon a deal with the developer that would have refunded city sales tax revenues from the project.

The City Council approved the project again March 9.