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Oxnard Swap Meet owner agrees to rebuild facility
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More from Other NewsThe property owner of the burned down Swap Meet on Saviers Road has agreed to rebuild the facility for retail use, while attorneys for the city of Oxnard will give him more time to reach that goal.
Ralph Roussey, his lawyers and attorneys for the city made the announcement today in Ventura County Superior Court. Judge Frederick Bysshe agreed to postpone a hearing on Roussey's progress in cleaning up the facility until Jan. 7, 2008.
The 29,000-square-foot Swap Meet burned to the ground on July 30, 2005. In March, Roussey pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of violating city nuisance codes.
Under a plea agreement, Bysshe ordered Roussey to either raze or rebuild the structure and submit plans to the city under a series of deadlines or face up to $135,000 in fines.
Progress had been stalled since March, however, in disputes over zoning rules and a related lawsuit.
Roussey submitted plans over the summer to rebuild the Swap Meet but missed the deadlines set under the plea agreement.
Meanwhile, city planning officials rejected the plans, calling for improved parking, lighting and signs on the property. Roussey argued that the zoning rules didn't require him to do that and appealed to the Planning Commission.
Roussey withdrew his appeal today and agreed to all the improvements, Assistant City Attorney Jim Rupp said.
Meanwhile, Roussey sued Ralphs, the supermarket chain that also operates on the parcel, for breach of contract. Roussey argued that the grocery store chain failed to provide fire insurance as required under a lease agreement.
The two parties settled last week after a judge ruled in Roussey's favor. Details of the settlement are confidential.
On Jan. 7, city attorneys will present an amended plea agreement to Bysshe with new deadlines, Rupp said. It's unclear how long Roussey will have to renovate the facility.
The fire displaced about 30 vendors and enraged neighbors, who called the building an eyesore and magnet for graffiti and transients.
Asked how he felt about the new agreement, Roussey said, "It's better than the old one."
Posted by slkrchck on December 17, 2007 at 1:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)
"The 29,000-square-foot Swap Meet burned to the ground on July 30, 2005. In March, Roussey pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of violating city nuisance codes."
i WISH it had burned to the ground. then i wouldn't have had to look at it for the last two and a half years.
Posted by Hueneme_girl29 on December 17, 2007 at 3:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Agreed! It is SO NOT burned to the ground. It is an old ugly building that has boarded up windows. Eyesore
Posted by pjlove10 on December 17, 2007 at 4:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Great! Just what South Oxnard needs, a ghetto swap meet! When that eyesore burned down a few years ago I was pretty excited that we would once and for all see an actual change in scenery in that area, car washes, people hanging out and blasting music in the huge empty parking lot. Some things will never change, and South Oxnard is one of those things... sad.
Posted by chair on December 17, 2007 at 5:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Check out the home price map at www.trulia.com/home_prices/California/Oxnard-heat_map/
and it's real easy to see why North Oxnard gets most of Oxnard officials' attention. Now I'm wondering why the tract homes in some areas of North Oxnard sell for more than the Craftsman homes in the H.T. Oxnard Historical District and the more nicely designed homes in that city's Sea Air and adjacent neighborhoods.
MMmmmmmmmm.............
Posted by lrgvanman on December 17, 2007 at 7:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I posted this on the last related article's comment section: "It seems so overdue to finally get some kind of action on this case. Oxnard is slowly becoming one huge slum as this complex added it's features to the menu. I have wondered about Roussey's sincerity and if it was just maybe a slumlord scenario, but that complex was so far back on code, this may have been a blessing. Actually, Ralph's and Hughes' were also responsible for neglect as far as I'm concerned. Asbestos? No sprinklers? There are a few other places here that have been gutted by fire, then brought up to code. Maybe it was a good thing except the rectification wait has been questionable. We certainly do have enough ghetto and blight here as it is." Updating this: I hope this renovation is quick and more of an asset.
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