Home › News › Local News
Plan would triple traffic, study says
Wagon Wheel development would add 5,436 residents to Oxnard
STORY TOOLS 
More from Local NewsA massive Wagon Wheel project in northwest Oxnard would nearly triple traffic in the area, with daily car trips expected to increase from 3,515 to 10,515, according to a draft environmental impact report.
The development, dubbed The Village, calls for 1,500 dwellings, high-rise residential towers and 50,400 square feet of retail space on a 63-acre site next to Highway 101.
The older commercial and industrial area, which includes a mobile home park, would be replaced with a high-density residential neighborhood that would add 5,436 residents to Oxnard. The development would increase the city's population about 3 percent to 195,000, according to the draft EIR, now available for public review.
"This is what voters have asked developers to do: urban infill," said Vince Daily, manager of the project and one of the partners in Oxnard Village Investments.
"We can't be afraid of density," he said.
Along with density would come more traffic. The development, along with others in the works, would increase congestion at several nearby intersections by 2013, according to the report. Among the areas that would be affected are Oxnard Boulevard and Vineyard Avenue, Highway 101 northbound and southbound onramps and offramps, and Oxnard Boulevard near an entrance to The Esplanade .
Councilman Tim Flynn said he is concerned about the project's traffic impacts.
"It's not a true mixed-use project because it does not have major places of employment next to it," he said.
After a public comment period, a final environmental impact report will be prepared for consideration by the Planning Commission and City Council.
The draft report identifies several possible amendments to the project, including one that would eliminate three proposed high-rise towers, reduce the number of dwelling units to 1,000 and preserve historic structures in the area.
Environmental impact reports are required under the California Environmental Quality Act to inform decision makers and the public about potential environmental effects of a proposed project, identify ways to avoid or reduce environmental damage, and present alternatives or mitigation measures.
The public review period is set to end at 5 p.m. July 13. To view the report online, go to http://developmentservices.cityofoxnard.org. Scroll down to the department map section and click on planning, then click on environmental documents.
Hard copies are available at the Development Services Support, 214 South C St. For more information, call 385-7896.
All comments should be provided in writing to Kathleen Mallory, a city planner, before the end of the public review period. Comments can be mailed or faxed to the Planning and Environmental Services Division, 305 W. Third St., Oxnard, CA 93030.
Posted by Camman1 on June 7, 2008 at 7:50 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I would think that the current water shortage problems alone should be enough to kill this new housing development project...
Posted by toy.runner on June 7, 2008 at 9:42 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Oxnards whatever it takes to increase tax based revenue will trump the drought effect.
Traffic is already bad there on any major holiday and rush hour, what is a few thousand more cars gonna do?
Posted by coastalslinger on June 7, 2008 at 10:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)
"This is what voters have asked developers to do: urban infill," said Vince Daily, manager of the project and one of the partners in Oxnard Village Investments.
"We can't be afraid of density," he said."
Uh, when did I ask you to do this? Remind me please. Menopause is a memory stealer.
I'm betting this man has NO intention of living anywhere near here with traffic going to be this bad.
As I have said before....Joni Mitchell had it right, even all those years ago...
"Don't it always seem to go, they don't know what they got til it's gone. Pave paradise, put up a parking lot."
Posted by shnyroq on June 7, 2008 at 12:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Voters asked for it when they said don't build on farmland or the hillsides. Perhaps soon enough the voters will simply say "don't build period"? Sarcasm on... Our cities will be really great then! ...sarcasm off.
Posted by sparks240 on June 7, 2008 at 1:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I can't wait to buy a $500,000 condo right next to a freeway and a railroad!
Posted by peterpan11 on June 7, 2008 at 2:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)
With gas prices up $5.00 a gallon almost I am sure there wont be that much traffic plus I agree with Sparks, no one in their right mind would pay 500K for a condo right next to the freeway. You could just as easily go right across the street and pay half that for a brand new house in Riverpark.
Posted by cbart on June 7, 2008 at 8:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)
NO more traffic! I live on Vineyard Ave and the traffic day and night is already horrible. The City should be trying to reduce traffic - not create it!
Posted by vannaplanna on June 9, 2008 at 11:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Everyone seems to want less traffic, but I don't see many people ready to give up driving?
Asking to get roads "fixed" to make them operate smoother at a level B instead of a D means widening roads and making signal phases longer. This just makes roads even more inviting to divers and less hospitable to walkers. It seems we're asking for a vicious cycle.
Less traffic = less drivers
More walkers, bikers and bus riders = less drivers
Designing housing that will encourage walkers, bikers and buss riders = density
Priority #1 should be encouraging people to walk places, by providing them with places to walk to.
Wagon Wheel is a great spot because there ARE places to walk to within a 1/2 mile there are grocery stores, shopping, dr's offices, banks, and perhaps could have a future metro link stop. Businesses will find the office towers more attractive for their business since employees can live right across the street.
I really hope this gets built, the city needs more diverse types of housing for all the young people who don't want to live in on a cul-de-sac with a SUV parked in the driveway that costs $1000s to drive.
Times are changing! This a good sign of the times!
Article discussions on this site are to support community debates of issues related to our stories and editorials.
Discussions should not stray from the subject of the story or editorial.
We do not allow the following:
- Posts that degrade others on the basis of gender, race, class, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation or disability.
- Disparaging remarks, abusive language or obscene comments.
- Threats, whether obvious or veiled.
We reserve the right to delete threads and/or ban users for these or other reasons we deem necessary.
Opinions are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement.
There are 8 comments to this article.
Comments are found beneath the Yahoo! ad below.