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Santa Paula council selects senior‑housing‑forward concept for East Harvard infill with parking reductions
Summary
The council chose Concept 1 for the 1397 East Harbor (East Harvard) REAP infill plan — favoring senior and multifamily housing with a community commercial element — but instructed staff to reduce unit counts to address parking concerns; the conceptual package will be finalized for VCOG and kept on file.
The Santa Paula City Council on June 3 selected a senior‑housing‑centered conceptual plan for the East Harvard infill site at 1397 East Harbor Boulevard and asked staff to trim the proposed unit count to reduce parking pressure.
Senior Planner Nicole Garner, presenting work prepared under a VCOG/REAP 2 grant, described three alternate concept plans that mix senior housing, multifamily units and community‑serving commercial space. Speaking to council, Garner said the concepts were meant as "a conceptual overview with some ideas for the site" rather than a development application and that the packet materials will live with VCOG and in the city's files until a future owner or developer advances a project.
The parcel is privately owned and currently used for truck maintenance and related uses. Consultant Tom Tarantino told council staff eventually reached the family trust that owns the property; the owner said he is not presently interested in selling. Tarantino said the REAP work was funded to produce ready, municipal‑level conceptual plans should market conditions or ownership change in the future.
Councilmembers debated tradeoffs including the need for long‑term tax revenue, parking adequacy for denser housing, potential medical or commercial anchors, and environmental unknowns such as Phase I/II site conditions. Council Member Cornejo said she favored Concept 1 for its commercial and open‑space balance but asked that the dwelling count be reduced to address parking concerns. "I would kind of like concept 1, but with maybe not as many dwellings so that's not overdense," she said.
A motion to approve Concept 1 with a council‑directed reduction in units cleared parking and seniors‑housing refinements passed on a voice vote. The council did not set specific new unit totals at the meeting; staff will document the change in a memorandum for VCOG and retain the concept package in city records.
What happens next: Garner said her contract under the REAP grant ends this month; she will prepare a summary memorandum and submit the final materials to VCOG. City staff cautioned that any further design or technical studies (traffic, environmental, parking) would be at city expense if pursued beyond the grant scope.
Why it matters: The 1397 East Harbor parcel is one of Santa Paula's largest infill opportunities. Councilmembers characterized the work as a low‑cost, prepped set of options that could accelerate housing, transit‑oriented redevelopment or a future medical/commercial anchor should ownership or market conditions change.
