Main Street merchants question housing plan

May 21, 2003
Santa Paula News

A proposed project to mix family housing and retail on Main Street was criticized for its vagueness and worries over tenants with disposable income at a meeting between the Santa Paula Downtown Merchants Association and representatives of Peoples’ Self Help Housing.

By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesA proposed project to mix family housing and retail on Main Street was criticized for its vagueness and worries over tenants with disposable income at a meeting between the Santa Paula Downtown Merchants Association and representatives of Peoples’ Self Help Housing.PSHH has been working with Blanchard Community Library to create housing on its little-used Santa Barbara Street parking lot. The organization is also negotiating with Ray Di Guilio, the mayor of Ventura, to purchase the former Santa Paula Hardware property in the 800 block of East Main Street.Jeanette Duncan, executive director of PSHH, outlined the history and goals of the award-winning affordable housing provider which has built 1,000 single-family homes and created more than 1,200 rental units, some mixed use with commercial space, since its founding over 30 years ago.“We partner with chambers, businesses, tourism bureaus and economic development task forces,” said Duncan. “. . .whenever we invest we feel we are buying into the community.”The Santa Paula effort began with the proposed partnership with Blanchard Community Library; Doug Nelson of Main Street Architects said that PSHH might acquire parcels adjacent to the library where up to 40 residential units could be built.
Nelson, who was active in the Downtown Improvement Plan, said that PSHH is a “quality developer” and would spend up to $8 million on the BCL related plan to create housing that would fit with Santa Paula’s historical character. Family complexes have courtyard play areas and the Presbyterian Church could provide parking if an agreement is reached, he noted.Dave Stewart, who with his wife Donna, owns Santa Paula Inn adjacent to the library, said he thought PSHH was past “introductory meetings. . .we don’t have anything to look at, nothing to support or refute,” plans for the Main Street property in particular.Duncan said initial plans for a BCL annex in the Main Street property have been replaced by retail space opportunities and other PSHH mixed-use projects include high-end commercial tenants. Housing provided would be “workforce housing and not farm worker housing,” the former with a higher income, she noted. “We would like to have a cross-section of workforce housing.”Merchants questioned whether or not tax credits and grants are higher for lower-income residents and whether or not PSHH makes payments in lieu of taxes to make up for the local lost property taxes waived for nonprofits.Duncan said PSHH has its own construction division that hires locally and has strong on site management to enforce tenant rules and regulations. If a commercial element is present in a PSHH project property taxes are paid and an “infusion of capital” results in a higher sales tax base.“My concern is our customers with disposable income” and folding low-income housing into the struggling business district, said Pam Colvard. “Professionals would not live in downtown Santa



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