VENTURA : Council to Consider Low-Income Project

The Ventura City Council will consider giving conceptual approval tonight to a 146-unit, low-income housing development just north of the Santa Paula Freeway in east Ventura.

The development, proposed by Saticoy-based Cabrillo Economic Development Corp., has drawn criticism from neighbors who worry that the influx of low-income residents will bring traffic and crime to their neighborhood.

The area is just outside the city limits and would have to be annexed if the project is approved. Cabrillo, a nonprofit company, is the largest private builder of low-income housing in the county.

The city has already pledged the $350,000 in federal, low-income housing funds it received for 1994 to Cabrillo for use in a low-income project. Cabrillo officials are also asking the city’s redevelopment agency for a $200,000 loan.

Getting conceptual approval of the project would let Cabrillo officials know if they should raise more money for the project, said Everett Millais, the city’s director of community services.

The development includes the construction of 80 apartments for very-low-income residents and 66 single-family houses for low-income residents on a 23-acre lot east of Saticoy Avenue.

According to 1993 figures, low-income residents are families of four making $39,700 or less per year, Millais said. Very-low-income residents are families of four making $27,600 or less per year, he said.