242-Unit Subdivision Reviewed by Council

Despite concerns about increased traffic, the architect of a proposed 242-unit subdivision in south Oxnard declared himself encouraged by City Council response to the project.

The council conducted a preliminary review of the development at its Tuesday meeting.

Architect Mike Faulconer said the project’s backers would work to overcome fears that the housing development would worsen already heavy traffic in the area near Channel Islands High School.

“It’s a bad situation and I really don’t think you should put overcrowded housing in that area,” Oxnard resident Rebecca Ralph told the council.

The 155 townhomes and 87 single-family homes are planned for a vacant 20-acre tract currently zoned for light manufacturing use at Rose Avenue and Channel Islands Boulevard. Two restaurants and a service station would be built on an adjacent 3.4-acre parcel.

Construction of pedestrian bridges is a possibility to alleviate problems that students and other pedestrians have in crossing busy thoroughfares in the area, Faulconer said.

Councilmen Tom Holden and Dean Maulhardt indicated that the traffic problems could be overcome, while Mayor Manuel Lopez and Councilman John Zaragoza cast doubt on the project’s viability. Councilman Bedford Pinkard was absent.