OXNARD : Council May Amend Planning Process

The Oxnard City Council on Tuesday will consider proposals to streamline the city’s planning process and give the council more control over land-use issues.

One ordinance would create the new position of city zoning administrator, who would have the authority to issue minor permits that now must be approved by either the Planning Commission or City Council. That official, who would also be the city’s community development director, would decide requests for zoning variances, but such decisions could be appealed to the council.

A second proposal would refer all significant projects proposed in Oxnard to the council before a formal application is accepted. The pre-application screening would enable individual council members to comment on the projects.

The pre-application screening would increase council control over land-use planning, said William Fulton of Ventura, who publishes the California Planning and Development Report.

Fulton said the change would diminish the role of the Planning Commission to more of a technical review body.

Ed Flores, who resigned from the Oxnard Planning Commission when the council reduced its membership and called for direct appointments by individual council members, criticized the proposal. “What’s the point in having a Planning Commission if (the council) gets a shot at a project before it goes to the commission and then has the final say?” Flores asked.