City Council - Regular Meeting

Hello, this is Joe Pearson, Planning and Environmental Services Manager, and this is the presentation for Fire Station number three. The project description includes a series of permit requests. The first is a zone change to change the zoning of the site from multiple family residential, or R2, to community reserve, or CR. A general plan amendment to change the land use designation from residential low medium, or RLM, to public, semi-public, or PSP, and a zone text amendment to the Oxnard City Code, section 16-264, which would permit additional lot coverage in the community reserve zone, subject to approval of a special use permit. A associated special use permit was also requested However, that action was approved by the Planning Commission subject to City Council's approval of the remaining permit request. Therefore, the only items needing action before the City Council are the General Plan Amendment, the Zone Change, the Zone Text Amendment, as well as the CEQA Determination. The project site is currently located at 150 Hill Street. and is currently improved with a one story fire station or fire station number three. Church uses are located to the east and south of the site and residential uses are located north and west of the site as shown in the image on the screen. The project will continue to be accessed from a public street to the north of the property or Hill Street and an alley to the south of the property. For the project site, there will be 19 parking stalls consisting of 18 standard stalls as well as one ADA space. Much of the project site would be paved to provide parking and circulation and will include a fueling station for fire apparatus, earthquake storage building, hose drawing tower, and emergency generator located north of the fire station building. A trash enclosure would also be provided on site. Landscape would be provided near the front of the site adjacent to Hill Street. The fire station would generally have a maximum height of 36 feet and would be designed to include a hose drawing tower with a maximum height of 31 feet. Shown here are the Floor plans for the proposed fire station. The new station would be split between a two-story living quarters, an office area, and a single-story apparatus bay and service area to support the City of Oxnard Fire Department's growth. The fire station would provide living quarters to accommodate up to 11 fire personnel per shift, which would include separate bunk rooms, restrooms, a kitchen, and laundry facilities, a dining room, a day room, an outdoor staff patio, and a fitness room. In addition, office space would be included to provide workspaces for fire personnel. The fire station would include a single-story apparatus bay designed to accommodate two fire engines and one ladder truck. The proposed fire station will have a modern aesthetic and will comprise primarily of metal features and a facade with contemporary stucco dual glazed windows and composite stucco concrete wall panels. The exterior will also include aluminum framed storefront, ceramic tile, perforated metal panel, vertical sunshade, overhead rapid cooling coiling door, Aluminum fixed window and metal composite materials material horizontal sunshade and articulated massing to break up the building. As presented the project of all the replacement of existing fire station number three. As the oldest station in the city, the current site is no longer sufficient to meet the operational requirements of the Oxnard Fire Department. The increased building size is needed to continue providing essential services to the city and plan for future needs. According to a facility assessment, the long-term priority for the existing fire station is to have at a minimum three apparatus bays and in On April 2, 2026, the Planning Commission approved the SGP and recommended City Council approve the associated negated negative declaration, general plan amendment, zone change, and zone text amendment with a 7-0 vote for the project. As previously noted, the project before the City Council requires city council action on four remaining requests. The first of those is the general plan amendment. The city's 2030 general plan land use designation of public semi-public allows for private quasi public and public buildings and facilities owned by the city, county, state, federal agencies, or other organizations that serve the general public, such as fire stations. The proposed general plan amendment will establish consistency for the existing and proposed fire station project site as the PSP designation is the appropriate designation for a fire station under the current general plan. This will also allow for consistency with the proposed zone change The request also includes the zone change from R2 to CR. The CR zone permits a variety of public, semi-public, and open space uses. Such uses include police or fire stations, public utility structures, and public schools, among others. The proposed CR zone is consistent with the proposed 2030 General Plan designation of public-semi-public. The zone change to the CR zone will allow for the redevelopment of the site consistent with standards appropriate for a fire station. Thus, the proposed zone change will establish consistency for the fire station project site as well as the proposed General Plan land use designation. The zone text amendment that is being requested would amend Oxnard City Code section 16-264 to permit additional lot coverage in the CR zone, subject to approval of a special use permit. The proposed amendment adds text That would state additional lot coverage may be permitted on approval of a specialty permit as provided in Austin City Code sections 16-530 to 16-553. The lot coverage currently permitted in the CR zone is 25%. The proposed project has a lot coverage of approximately 33.6%. Provided that city council approves the zone text amendment, the proposed lot coverage would be permitted with planning commission's approval of the special use permit. It is important to note that any increase above the standard would again require a specific approval from planning commission via a special use permit. In accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act or CEQA guidelines, the City of Oxnard as lead agency prepared a initial study slash mitigated negative declaration in accordance with the requirements of CEQA. The initial study or MND identified and discussed potential impacts, mitigation measures, monitoring requirements, and residual impacts for identified subject areas. The MND was available for public review between October 27th of 2025 to November 26th of 2025. The City of Oxnard received comment letters on the MND from agencies, organizations, and interested parties. The written comments and responses to each of the comments received during the public review period of the administrative draft or public review draft of the ISMND are included in the final ISMND. Staff has determined that there is no substantial evidence the project will have a significant effect on the environment and recommends that the City Council certifies the final ISMND. Notice of the City Council hearing was provided via the newspaper, onsite posting, as well as in mailing to all property owners within 300 feet. As of this recording, no public comments have been submitted in support or in opposition of the project. Additionally, prior to filing of the applications for this project, the fire department held four community meetings in the neighborhood surrounding the project site between late 2023 and early 2024. Therefore, based on the information provided in the staff report as well as this presentation, staff recommends that city council conduct a public hearing, adopt a resolution certifying the final initial study slash mitigated negative declaration, adopt a resolution approving planning and zoning permit number 24-620-03 for a general plan amendment, approve the first reading by title only and waive further reading of the proposed ordinance titled an ordinance of the City Council approving Planning and Zoning Permit No. 24570-02 for the zone change to allow for the construction of a new two-story fire station and related improvements located on the existing 0.66-acre property at 150 Hill Street, APN No. 203-0120-130. approve the first reading by title only and wait for the reading of the proposed ordinance titled an ordinance of the city council approving planning and zoning permit number 24-580-03 zone type amendment to approve amendment to the oxnard city code chapter 16 section 16-264 lot coverage to modify the lot coverage allowed in the community reserve zone to allow for the construction of a new two-story fire station and related improvements located on an existing 0.66 acre property at 150 Hill Street, APN number 203-0-120-130.