Oxnard City Council hears pre-application for 121-townhome project at 245 East Colonial Road

Jamie Peltier, planning supervisor in the City of Oxnard Community Development Department, presented a pre-application to the Oxnard City Council for a proposed residential development at 245 East Colonial Road, a site formerly occupied by a Sunkist building. "The comments provided by the city council on a pre application do not constitute a decision or endorsement of the proposal," Peltier told the council, adding that the pre-application process is intended to help inform the applicant before a formal filing.

The proposal described in the pre-application would require a general plan amendment and a zone change from industrial to residential to permit a development of 121 for-sale townhomes organized in 19 buildings of five, six and seven attached units. "The units range from 3 to 4 bedrooms with an attached 2 car garage," Peltier said. The site is bounded by the Union Pacific Railroad and Oxnard Boulevard to the west, Colonial Road to the south, Camino Del Sol to the north and Hayes Avenue and existing residential development to the east.

Peltier outlined the permits and reviews that a formal application would trigger: a general plan amendment, zone change, plan development permit, density bonus, tentative map and preparation of an environmental document pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). She told the council that "ultimately, the city council will be the final action hearing body for these applications." No formal direction or votes were taken at the pre-application presentation.

Staff flagged a set of issues for council and the applicant to consider if the proposal moves forward. These included neighborhood compatibility with surrounding residential low- and medium-density uses, consistency with general plan policies favoring housing variety and infill, and the site’s absence from Oxnard’s currently adopted Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) parcels. Peltier said the requested amendment and rezone "would not be necessary in order to meet those RHNA goals," noting the parcel was not listed in the housing element as designated for housing.

Other topics noted for further technical review were multimodal circulation and a bicycle-pedestrian master plan provision identifying a Class I multi-use path along the west side of the property adjacent to the railroad, potential noise and traffic impacts because the project would sit next to a railroad and a major thoroughfare (Oxnard Boulevard), and site access. The conceptual site plan presented shows two vehicle access points: a primary entrance on Colonial Road and a secondary access connecting at Camino Del Sol and Hayes Avenue, which would serve an internal private street network and attached two-car garages plus scattered guest parking.

Peltier also discussed parking and transit policy. She said the site is within a half-mile of a major transit stop (the Oxnard rail station) and that the applicant had cited state law — referenced in the presentation as "assembly bill 20 97" — that the project may qualify for reduced or no parking requirements under that statutory scheme. Staff noted parking would still be provided in the conceptual plan, but that formal parking standards and any state exemptions would be evaluated during project review.

What happens next: The pre-application record will be used to inform a possible formal application. If the applicant files, city departments will conduct technical reviews and, as required, the city will prepare environmental review under CEQA and return the matter to the council as the final discretionary hearing body. No schedule or dates for a formal filing or hearings were provided during the presentation.