Decision Delayed on Low-Income Housing

A decision over whether to permit the construction of a low-income apartment complex in El Rio was delayed a week after a more than two-hour hearing lasted until early Wednesday morning.

The Oxnard City Council decided to hold off on the decision until it receives more information on the effect the influx of students from the development will have on already overcrowded schools.

In particular, the Carpinteria-based developer and Rio School District disagree on how many more students will enter the district if the 94-unit complex is constructed.

The delay came at about 12:45 a.m. Wednesday after emotionally charged testimony from the overflow crowd of project opponents and proponents.

Residents of the small section of El Rio within Oxnard’s borders contend neighborhood problems that include a lack of parks, inadequate drainage and traffic and parking problems will be exacerbated if the complex is built. City officials and project supporters say those concerns are either exaggerated or can be dealt with.

Moreover, some residents say the proposed five-acre site on Vineyard Avenue is too small to become home to more than 400 people and contend the project will become a “slum.”

“We are not opposed to more people in our neighborhood if the infrastructure could support it,” said Dorothy Gibson, a member of the neighborhood council who presented a 500-signature petition opposing the project. “I think this project is great, but not in our neighborhood.”

Backers maintain the project is a victim of misconceptions about low-income housing and has unfairly become a lightning rod for deeper neighborhood concerns that have nothing to do with the project.