Oxnard Planning Commission

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July 21st

• 333-unit multifamily goes back to planning after Council approval

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Fore at Riverpark

Riverpark | 4.23 Acres | 333 Units

In the murky depths of development purgatory, where project approvals dangle precariously, our tale begins. Three months after receiving an approval from the City Council, the Planning Commission decided to re-review the Fore Apartments project.

The developer's ambitious plan to construct a 333-unit complex was met with opposition from the Supporters Alliance for Environmental Responsibility. This private foundation, known for its advocacy for environmental justice through legal channels under the California Environmental Quality Act, aimed to have the developer complete a new Environmental Impact Report (EIR).

The 4.23-acre project site fell under the commercial general land use designation and River Park Specific Plan zone (RPSP), and having been deemed consistent with the RPSP and EIR #3, it was granted exemption from further environmental scrutiny. This meant the developer could use the area's EIR, which had been prepared back in 2002.

The Supporters Alliance for Environmental Responsibility—let's call them passionate environmental enthusiasts—argued that the EIR used was a programmatic type and not a project-specific EIR. As a result, they demanded that the developer conduct a new EIR.

Additionally, they claimed that air pollution levels were higher than initially reported and that endangered species were discovered on the site.

How did they manage to gather this information without trespassing?

They enlisted a biologist to take pictures from the edge of the site. A commissioner pointed out, though, that it would be more credible to provide an actual specimen rather than distant photographs.

In the end, the crux of the matter came down to the 30-day window after the April City Council decision, which had already closed. The Supporters Alliance should have come forward with a complaint during that period. Since they failed to do so, they found themselves outmaneuvered by legal technicalities and dismissed from the proceedings.

Developer: Fore Property, Jonathan Cornelius LinkedIn

Staff Report

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