Opinion by Lawrence Paul Stein
Staff Response _ Teal Club Specific Plan 02 -07 2022
In the Summary of Impacts it is stated “Based upon the analysis…(impacts) would be less than significant with the incorporation of mitigation measures”. Considering the city’s history of providing mitigation measures, there is no assurance the mitigations will be performed. Developers pay impact fees, but the impact fees are not sufficient and the mitigations are not completed. It is my opinion based upon past performance by city staff, that the mitigations for a development project in Oxnard should be 100% completed before a single house is built for that project.
The addendum following these comments is the response I received 3+ weeks after I submitted questions at the end of December 20221 and beginning of January 2022. The general questions of what the mitigations going to cost, what are the funding sources to fund the mitigation and what is the time line for completing the mitigations remain unanswered.
Based upon the lack of response to these questions, and other questions submitted, it appears that the city does not plan to complete the necessary mitigations for this specific plan like they have not completed the mitigations of the Northeast Community Specific Plan. The fire station was removed from the Specific Plan 15 plus years after the homes were built. Sports Park has not been constricted in 30 years, there is no timeline to complete Sports Park. The back bone of the city water system (supplying water to 40,000 ratepayers via the AWTF (Advance Water Treatment Facility) has been languishing after 10 years. Not a drop of water has been blended after the ratepayers of potable water have been subsidizing the ratepayers of non-potable water to the tune of $14,000,000 per year. There is no timeline when the AWTF will be providing 21,000 acre feet of potable water to the ratepayers of potable water. Meanwhile not only are the ratepayers of potable water paying $14,000,000+ to subsidize the users of non-potable water they are also paying over $21,000,000 per year for water being imported from Northern California.
It is my recommendation that the Teal Club Specific Plan not be approved. There are no plans to perform the mitigations. I would further recommend that no Specific Plan be approved until Sports Park, College Park and Campus Park be finished along with the AWTF generating 21,000 acre feet of potable water. The developer is not responsible to finance these mitigation, but should finance all of the infrastructure improvements related to this Specific Plan should it be approved. Not a single house should be built until the infrastructure is completed.
Click on the link below to read the staff response to questions on the proposed Teal Club development.
Staff Response _ Teal Club Specific Plan 02 -07 2022
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