Spanish Hills Builder Seeks Zoning for 89-Home Project : Camarillo Planning Commission to Consider Proposal

Builders of the Spanish Hills housing development will ask the Camarillo Planning Commission tonight to consider a proposal to build 89 single-family houses on a 52-acre parcel on the city’s northwest side.

The homes, ranging in size from 1,900 to 2,500 square feet, are proposed for vacant land near Earl Joseph and West Ponderosa drives.

Spanish Hills Development Co. is seeking to change the property’s zoning from rural residential to residential planned development, which would more than double the number of lots that could be built on the site--from 39 to 89. The project would be more modest than a nearby 430-acre Spanish Hills housing and golf course development, where houses are 3,500 square feet or larger.

However, because the developer has so far failed to reach an agreement on what fees it would pay the Pleasant Valley School District, city staff members will ask the commission to postpone a final decision until June 7.

Rick O’Donnell, executive director of development for Spanish Hills, said Monday that the company recognizes that its development will bring in new students and create an additional strain on the district.

Under terms of the state School Facilities Act, developers must pay school districts $2.65 per square foot for each residential project that is built. But when a zone change is requested, a school district can request higher fees than the state minimum.

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O’Donnell would not say what caused the delay in the fee negotiations, which initially were expected to be finished before tonight’s meeting. He also declined to detail terms the two parties have on the negotiating table.

“We are close to working out an acceptable deal,” O’Donnell said. “I believe that we will have something worked out before the end of the week.”

Matthew Boden, Camarillo’s director of planning and community development, said he also believes that the two sides will reach an agreement.

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School district officials could not be reached for comment Monday. But in a Friday letter to the city, Pleasant Valley Associate Supt. Howard Hamilton said that the district’s 13 schools were at or near capacity and that the new Spanish Hills development promises to adversely affect the district unless the proper amount in development fees can be negotiated.

If the Planning Commission approves the proposal, the plan then must be approved by the City Council, which rules on all zoning changes. The council has tentatively scheduled the issue for its June 22 meeting.

FYI

The Camarillo Planning Commission will hold a public hearing tonight on a proposal by Spanish Hills Development Co. to build 89 single-family houses on a 52-acre parcel adjacent to the company’s upscale housing and golf course development. The commission meeting starts at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall, 601 Carmen Drive. A vote is tentatively scheduled for the commission’s June 7 meeting.