Oxnard council approves Teal Club specific plan and development agreement over objections about lead, water and traffic

The Oxnard City Council on April 29 approved planning and zoning permits, certified the final environmental impact report (EIR) and adopted a development agreement for the Teal Club specific plan, a large residential and commercial project bounded by Doris Avenue, Patterson Road and Teal Club Road, despite vocal public concerns about air lead contamination, water and sewer capacity and traffic. The measure passed 6-1; Councilmember Star voted no.

Supporters said the project will add housing and infrastructure; critics urged delay for more testing. Several residents and public speakers asked the council to require environmental testing for lead near Oxnard Airport and to confirm water and sewer capacity before approving development. Dozens of written and spoken comments appear in the meeting record, with speakers citing increased traffic on Doris Avenue, concerns about noise impacts near residences on Little Farm Road, and the need for annexation approval from LAFCO before final map recordation.

Why it matters: The council’s decision lets the developer proceed toward annexation and the tentative map; it also sets conditions and mitigation payments that aim to address police, fire and infrastructure impacts. Opponents said the mitigation package and certification come too soon, before independent testing of air quality and before all infrastructure commitments are fully funded.

What the council approved: The package included planning and zoning permits, a development agreement and certification of the project’s final EIR. During the staff presentation, Community Development Director Geoff Bengali summarized fiscal and public-safety mitigations baked into the agreement: a recurring operating mitigation for fire services of about $462,000 per year and a recurring operating mitigation for police services of about $164,000 per year; a capital mitigation share for certain fire equipment and station remodels that the staff estimated at roughly $352,000 as the Teal Club project’s proportionate share once other offsets are applied. The development agreement also contemplates a community facilities district (Mello-Roos) to fund additional public services, though the developer stated at the meeting that they did not plan to require a Mello-Roos assessment themselves.

Council debate and objections: Councilmember Star said he had studied staff materials and felt the mitigation and financing approach lacked proportionality; he said he “lost sleep over this decision” and ultimately voted no. Other council members described the negotiations as lengthy and said staff and the applicant reached a compromise after multiple rounds. Councilmembers asked staff to ensure that the tentative map review and annexation process through the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) remains a future checkpoint for infrastructure timing and public improvements.

Public concerns emphasized: Several people urged additional environmental testing for lead, citing historic leaded aviation fuels near the Oxnard Airport and pointing to other communities where lead contamination prompted additional restrictions. Residents asked the council to delay any final approvals until a targeted air-quality study is completed and water/sewer capacity is guaranteed. Staff and the applicant said some testing and mitigation are part of the EIR and required conditions, while the applicant’s representative told the council that the applicant did not feel “strong-armed” into the agreement.

Next steps and oversight: The council vote allows the developer to pursue annexation and to advance to tentative map and implementation steps, but staff emphasized the tentative map, infrastructure timing and final engineering reviews will return for subsequent approvals. LAFCO approval is required for annexation. Staff also described forthcoming conditions and timing in the development agreement intended to secure public improvements and to phase construction with utilities and road improvements.

Votes and tally: The motion to approve the planning and zoning permits, adopt the development agreement and certify the EIR passed 6–1. The record shows: Basuah — yes; Perallo — yes; Perez — yes; Rodriguez — yes; Star — no; Mayor Pro Tem Turan — yes; Mayor McArthur — yes.

Additional details: Staff noted the agreement included both operating and capital mitigations and accounted for property tax offsets. Bengali explained the methodology he and his team used to estimate per-capita fire costs and comparisons with similar California jurisdictions to determine a more “typical” per-capita basis rather than relying only on Oxnard’s historical budget figures.

What to watch: Tentative map review, LAFCO annexation proceedings and any follow-up air-quality testing or water/sewer capacity confirmation required by the development agreement or as conditions of the tentative map.

Sources: Staff presentations, council deliberations and public comments at the April 29, 2025 Oxnard City Council meeting. Direct quotations and figures are from Community Development Director Geoff Bengali and council members as recorded in the meeting transcript.