OXNARD : Council OKs Report on Beach Project

The Oxnard City Council has voted unanimously to approve a report on the environmental effects of Village West, a proposed 435-residence development next to Ormond Beach.

Upholding a decision by the city’s Planning Commission, the City Council cleared the way for further discussion of the housing development.

The Oxnard Union High School District and the Sierra Club had appealed the commission’s decision, arguing that the report did not accurately identify the impacts of the 33-acre project and how to deal with them.

But the school district withdrew its appeal after reaching a last-minute agreement with the developer, Orange County-based Baldwin Co., to resolve problems caused by the expected influx of students from the project.

And council members said arguments by members of the Sierra Club, who said they did not have adequate time to comment on the plan and were not allowed to see parts of the report, were not convincing.

The Sierra Club maintains that the development would damage the wetlands of Ormond Beach, home to various endangered species including the California least tern and tidewater goby fish.

Councilman Andres Herrera said he was moved by testimony from environmentalists and longtime Oxnard and Port Hueneme residents about the beauty of Ormond Beach, but did not see any grounds for an appeal of the environmental report.

However, he said the final decision on whether to approve the project has become a tough one. Councilman Tom Holden agreed.

The development would be located at the southeast corner of Hueneme and Perkins roads. The Baldwin Co. is also pushing to build 5,000 homes amid the wetlands of Ormond Beach.