City to Require Study on Project Near Wetlands
The City Council will require a full environmental impact report on a proposed car processing plant near the Ormond Beach wetlands.
The Oxnard council voted unanimously Tuesday for an extensive study after developers agreed to follow a recommendation by city planners for a thorough review.
Pacific Vehicle Processors wants to convert a 38-acre vacant parcel south of Hueneme Road into a plant for preparing imported vehicles before they are shipped to dealers. But a group of activists has opposed the plant, saying it is too close to the rare birds and plants that make Ormond Beach their home.
Company officials have maintained that the area they want to use is not part of the wetlands and wouldn’t harm sensitive areas, but agreed to an environmental report in an attempt to avoid a court battle, they said.
Jim Kilpatrick, vice president of marketing and development for Pacific Vehicle Processors, said the report should take at least six months.
The company had hoped to open its facility by next spring.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
