The Oxnard City Planning Commission on Thursday approved a planned development permit and lot‑line adjustment to allow FoodShare Ventura County to build an approximately 85,800‑square‑foot, two‑story warehouse and volunteer center at 1425 Mariner Drive.

The project, presented by Tanner Shelton, senior planner with Sandell, and Monica White, president and CEO of FoodShare Ventura County, will consolidate FoodShare’s operations into a single facility with expanded refrigerated and frozen storage, six loading bays, a commercial kitchen for preparing prepackaged meals for partner agencies, a volunteer center, and a community room. Vice Chair Doctor Stewart moved the staff recommendation to find the project exempt from environmental review under CEQA and adopt a resolution approving the planned development permit and lot‑line adjustment; Commissioner Barcena seconded the motion and the commission voted 6‑0 to approve it.

The commission and applicants emphasized that the site will not be open for direct public food pickup; all distribution to residents will occur through FoodShare’s network of partner agencies. Monica White said, “This is going to be a game changer for our organization as well as for the community,” and described FoodShare’s countywide operations, noting the organization serves roughly 253,000 people annually through about 300 partner sites and handles about 20 million pounds of food each year.

City planning staff noted the project conforms to the city’s 2030 General Plan and relevant limited manufacturing zoning standards; staff also corrected a numeric error in the report regarding peak building height. Commissioners asked detailed questions about operations and infrastructure: the project’s bin‑wash water will discharge to the sewer system via a settling tank and grease interceptor (civil engineer Kenzie Hensley), not to stormwater basins; regular operations will be Monday through Friday with weekend distributions handled offsite by partner agencies (Monica White); and state building code requirements will govern electric vehicle charging stations for the site, with the building department addressing final plan check details.

On sustainability, architect Julie Jackson said the project is designed to meet the roof‑mounted solar minimum required by code and FoodShare intends to maximize roof PV where possible, but that roof panels are unlikely to produce 100% of the facility’s energy needs because of large refrigeration loads. The project team also removed a supplemental solar canopy over the parking area after budgeting discussions; Jackson said the canopies and associated infrastructure would have added roughly $1.5–$2 million in cost and the client chose to allocate funds instead to mission‑critical components. Staff said the removal of the canopies does not change the staff recommendation or require rehearing; minor landscape adjustments will be made to meet code where canopies were originally proposed.

Project design details reviewed during the hearing included two separate driveways (one dedicated for large trucks), six loading bays, a larger cooler and freezer (about three times current capacity), a volunteer center and agency pick‑up area separate from forklift operations, a community room with an estimated classroom‑style capacity of about 140 people, and expanded parking (the proposal includes roughly 178–180 stalls compared with a code requirement of about 148). Applicants said the development sits on a pair of parcels totaling more than 11 acres but the building footprint uses a portion of that land; the team retained about two acres adjacent to parking for possible future use or sale.

Public comments at the hearing supported the project. Drew West, board chair of FoodShare Ventura County, called it a “smart, scalable, and sustainable project” that addresses food insecurity and the organization’s limited current capacity. Susie Lopez Garcia, executive director of Community Action of Ventura County, and Diane McKay, a local business owner and longtime FoodShare volunteer, also urged approval, saying the consolidation would strengthen the countywide nonprofit distribution network.

The commission’s approval included: a finding that the project is exempt from environmental review under CEQA per the motion, and adoption of a resolution (2025‑XX) approving the planned development permit and lot‑line adjustment subject to the conditions in the staff report. Vice Chair Doctor Stewart made the motion; Commissioner Barcena seconded it. The roll call vote recorded aye votes from Vice Chair Doctor Stewart, Commissioner Barcena, Commissioner Doctor Lopez, Commissioner Nash, Commissioner Schulke and Chair Arrejo; the motion passed unanimously.

Commissioners and staff described the project as providing about 15 years of capacity growth under the applicant’s forecasts, improving safety and operational efficiency by consolidating separate warehouse sites into a single location, and increasing volunteer and agency access. Staff identified no environmentally sensitive areas on or adjacent to the site and confirmed project consistency with applicable zoning and the 2030 General Plan policies cited in the staff report.

The commission closed the public hearing after the vote. Staff later announced that the next Planning Commission meeting on Nov. 6 will include a public hearing on accessory dwelling unit ordinance amendments and related zone text amendments.