Mary Ellen DeLuca wasn't about to let a massive sports utility vehicle stop her from using the storage cage in her carport.

But that's what almost happened when Oxnard city officials decided the cages could inadvertently lead to a traffic accident in DeLuca's underground parking garage.

After some negotiations, however, the city and John Laing Homes, which built DeLuca's new White Sails luxury condominium complex, managed to resolve the problem and avert a Hummer-sized crisis.

The problem started in November when planning officials asked Laing Homes to raise the cages an extra foot off the ground. The cages are mounted on a wall at the back of the parking stall, about 4 feet off the ground. Cars pull up to the wall and most slide right in underneath the cage, whose bottom shelf sits about level with DeLuca's shoulder. But at their current height, Hummers and their ilk would stick out into the parking aisle.

Raise the cages a foot and "they will become almost inaccessible to me," DeLuca told the City Council during public comments nearly two weeks ago. "At my age of 72 and I'm proud of it I do feel I should not be forced to use a ladder to make use of my cages. It presents a real danger to me if I should fall and make accessibility extremely limited."

Planning Manager Susan Martin understands the dilemma.

The city had long since approved White Sails, south of Wooley Road and on Channel Islands Harbor.

But when Martin gave the 88-unit complex a final inspection last November, a behemoth pickup truck extended some 2 feet out past the stall, blocking part of the driving aisle.

It was an accident waiting to happen, Martin said recently.

"A lot of cars, like a standard Yukon or Tahoe, would not be able to fit under the height of the cage," Martin said recently. "That's why it was a concern to us."

DeLuca couldn't fathom the reasoning. She drives a 2000 Honda Accord, not a Navigator. The cages are practical and easy to reach, she said.

Moreover, most residents at White Sails are seniors, and few own the kinds of vehicles on steroids that pose parking problems, said Lou Victalino, vice president of White Sails' homeowners association.

Laing Homes was willing to accommodate the residents, said Bill Rattazzi, the company's president.

Homeownwers will have the final say. No cages will be moved unless someone asks, Rattazzi said.

Moreover, if a unit is sold and the new tenant has a large vehicle, the homeowners association can adjust the cages' height to accommodate the car. Laing Homes will establish a fund to pay for any future fixes, Rattazzi said.

The city, meanwhile, dropped its concerns over accidents. Given the "demographics" of most White Sails residents, larger cars will be an exception, Matthew Winegar, the city's director of development services said, when asked about concerns over accidents in the garage.

"It's something we can live with," Winegar said, "and the homeowners association can police."

DeLuca estimated 10 of the 80 spots in her building's underground garage might require adjustments for larger vehicles.

This all comes as sales of larger SUV and pickup trucks plummet with rising gas prices, said John Masterson, president of Ventura-based Western Automotive Consultants.