FILLMORE : Extension Requested on Mini-Mall Permit

The Fillmore Planning Commission has declined to rule on a request by the developer of a proposed mini-mall to delay construction of the project, instead passing the decision on to the City Council.

Citing the economic downturn, Southwest Management Co. has asked for a three-year extension on the deadline of a building permit issued by the city last year for the Citrus Shopping Center, proposed for Highway 126 near B Street.

Without the extension, Southwest would have to abandon the project or pay $6,000 more in fees to repeat the approval process, city planners said.

Last year, the commission rejected a proposal by the developer to build the 17,000-square-foot center after residents of an adjacent housing tract raised concerns that the project would not meet the city’s building codes.

But the Fillmore City Council approved the project in February, 1991, under the condition that building permits be obtained within one year.

At Thursday’s meeting, planning commissioners said it would be inappropriate for them to approve or deny the requested extension because the project never had their approval.

The request is expected to come before the City Council in June.

Commissioners asked city planners to suggest that if the extension is granted, the council should make the project subject to any changes in fees or design guidelines that might be made before construction begins.