OXNARD : Shopping Center Near Airport OKd

Members of the Ventura County Transportation Commission on Friday approved plans for a shopping center near Oxnard Airport, despite worries that the project would expose airplane passengers and ground-dwelling citizens to unnecessary risks.

The proposal from Marketplace Properties would build a shopping center featuring an Albertson’s supermarket at 5th Street and Ventura Road. Two of the five commissioners voted against the Albertson’s proposal, and others voiced concerns about the project.

“Landing an airplane is not an exact science,” said Commissioner Frank Schillo. “I think there could be a potential for a problem.”

Schillo, who voted against the project, predicted the “San Diego-izing” of the area surrounding Oxnard Airport, worrying that the area would become so built-up that the airport would become unsafe.

Commissioner David Smith said he opposed the land-use but voted for the project, saying that the commission’s role was simply to check that the buildings planned did not violate height restrictions previously imposed by the commission.

The commission unanimously voted down a request by the same developer to rezone another parcel of land near the airport designated for office buildings to general commercial use. It found that general commercial use of the land, at 2nd Street and Ventura Road, is inconsistent with its designation as an “inner safety zone” under the airport’s comprehensive land use plan.

The Federal Aviation Agency has found that the Albertson’s project does not pose a safety hazard.