A previously vacant lot in Oxnard has sprouted a condominium project that expands the city's available industrial space.
Two new buildings on the 4.2-acre property are bringing 24 industrial condominiums, including for-sale units, to a corner in the city's northeast.
The Oxnard City Council last week unanimously OK'd a final subdivision map for the Santiago Industrial Suites project at the corner of Graves Avenue and Santiago Court.
The action allows the site to be split up into 25 lots — one for each condo plus a common area — and also allows the developer to sell individual units, according to a city staff report.
A parking lot with 170 spaces surrounds the two long buildings, which are situated in an area with mostly limited manufacturing uses along the west side of Rice Avenue. Across the street, on the opposite side of Graves Avenue, are residential apartment buildings.
The industrial condos have two addresses: 1400 Graves Ave. and 2301 Santiago Court.
Construction started in 2022 and the city approved occupancy in February, said developer Lou Mellman, founder of Westlake Village-based California Commercial Investment Cos.
The company has already pre-sold 11 condominiums and found strong demand, Mellman said in an email. His company has only one or two condominiums left for sale and plans to lease the rest, he said.
Most occupants will be small businesses whose employees include Oxnard residents, he said. The company's web site indicates uses could include wholesaling, warehousing and manufacturing activities as well as scientific research.
The buildings are one story high and feature high ceilings, Mellman said. Some have a mezzanine.
One building with a mezzanine and totals 42,500 square feet while the other, with no mezzanine, totals 32,000 square feet, according to a city staff presentation. Each unit has office space, a restroom, open space and a roll-up garage door.
Joe Pearson, Oxnard planning and environmental services manager, said the units vary from 2,500 to 3,600 square feet.
The site is across from the Tierra Vista Apartments, but no neighbors have voiced concerns to the city about the project, Pearson said. No increase in traffic is expected.
“It’s a pretty straightforward project,” Pearson said.
The project's various elements were previously approved by Oxnard's community development director and planning commissioners. The city council OK'd a tentative map in January.
The industrial condominiums fit the city's economic development strategy of welcoming new businesses, Councilmember Bert Perello said during the July 16 meeting.
At the same meeting, the council also unanimously approved subdivision of a 3.7-acre lot for a future medical office complex on what's now a parking lot at 1750 Solar Drive. The site, just south of Rio School District offices and the Oxnard Adult School, is a stone's throw from the industrial condo property.
The vote allows the parcel to be divided into nine lots where eight buildings totaling about 40,000 square feet will be built and can be individually sold, according to staff reports. The ninth lot will be a parking lot and common area.
No one spoke about the medical office project during public comments and no council members made remarks.
Dave Mason covers East County for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached atdave.mason@vcstar.com or 805-437-0232.
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