Council Weighs Suit Over Mall Expansion

To sue or not to sue--that is the question the Oxnard City Council is set to answer after a closed session tonight regarding a $50-million expansion plan for Ventura’s Buenaventura Mall.

Oxnard officials and others have considered suing Ventura, maintaining that the environmental study commissioned on the mall expansion understated the project’s impact.

In particular, Oxnard leaders say the environmental review downplayed the potential effects on area traffic. They also say the study failed to consider the impact of the possible departure of two anchor tenants--Sears and Robinsons-May--from the Esplanade shopping center in Oxnard.

Oxnard financial analysts project that the city could lose more than $500,000 annually in sales tax revenue if the two retailers move to an expanded mall in Ventura.

The deadline to file lawsuits contesting Ventura’s decision to go forward with the mall project is Thursday.

Ventura officials defend their study as adequate and have said the economic impact of a project on a neighboring city is not an environmental concern. They say such a suit would be a stalling tactic designed to scuttle the expansion, which has already won approval from Ventura’s City Council.

Several Oxnard City Council members said Monday that they had not made up their minds on whether to take legal action.

“At this point, it is my feeling that I want to be given the options and discuss them so we know how we can best protect the residents and the Esplanade,” City Councilman Tom Holden said.

The mall expansion plan faces another challenge March 26, when Ventura voters will decide on a measure that seeks to block the project by prohibiting sales tax rebates to developers.