Coastal Panel Delays Decision on Project

California Coastal Commission members are questioning Oxnard’s approval of an ocean-side housing project, saying the plan does not comply with certain standards for development in the city’s coastal areas.

The state environmental panel was set to decide Tuesday whether it should reconsider the 58.3-acre Westport at Mandalay Bay project--OKd by the Oxnard City Council in July--but the matter was put on hold at the request of the developer, Chatsworth-based Suncal Cos.

The project calls for 95 homes--83 with private boat docks--35 duplex units, 88 condominiums, a 140-unit apartment complex, 14,000 square feet of commercial space and a seven-acre public park and trail system.

The project is part of the 220-acre Mandalay development area bordered by the canal, Wooley Road, Victoria Avenue and Hemlock Street and includes the Harbor Island condominiums and another project still in the planning stage, said Susan Martin, an associate planner in Oxnard.

The commission’s concerns center on public access issues but also include the mix of housing proposed and the project’s layout on the land, said Barbara Carey, a coastal program analyst in the Ventura office.

Bill Rattazzi, a principal of Suncal, said he wants time to meet with the commission’s staff members in hopes of alleviating their concerns. He said he believes the project is consistent with the previously approved plan for the Mandalay area.

He added the project would provide a much-needed mix of housing in Oxnard and has received no public opposition.

A new hearing has not been scheduled but will occur in two to three months, officials said.