OXNARD : Kojima Housing Plan to Be Viewed First

The Oxnard City Council on Tuesday voted not to allow anyone other than real estate speculator Donald T. Kojima to submit a proposal at a Nov. 15 meeting to build low-cost housing on a city-owned 41-acre parcel.

As part of a $5.32-million land deal between Kojima and Oxnard, the city agreed to give the developer first crack at submitting a plan to build about 115 homes for low-income families on the property.

The deal was conceived as a way to relocate residents of the Oxnard Mobilehome Lodge, one of the county’s worst slums, by building them a new place to live. But housing originally proposed by Kojima was criticized by farm worker advocates as too expensive, and the council vowed to provide less-costly homes.

Eileen McCarthy of California Rural Legal Assistance, which represents the Mobilehome Lodge residents, asked the council to allow two nonprofit groups to submit alternate proposals when Kojima submits his plan.

But the request was denied after a lengthy discussion in which council members criticized the deal they had given Kojima but ultimately agreed to honor it.

After the discussion, City Manager Tom Frutchey said the Kojima proposal will go before the council as a special report and proponents of alternate plans will have an opportunity to comment. He added that the Nov. 15 meeting will be the first step in a long process to find the right developer.

“If the City Council likes the proposal, they will accept it, although that is extremely unlikely,” Frutchey said.

Councilman Michael A. Plisky also said the chances of the City Council accepting Kojima’s proposal are slim, but added that he would stick by his word and give the developer the first opportunity.

“We should . . . take care of our contractual obligation and get some real experts involved in this project,” Plisky said.