City Council addresses water rates, Dawson Drive redevelopment

The Camarillo City Council last week unanimously approved stricter water guidelines for residents and businesses who want to create large-scale landscaping projects.

The State Department of Water Resources developed a State Model Water Landscape Ordinance that was approved in September 2009, and cities were given the option to either adopt the state’s model or create their own by Jan. 1, said Bob Burrow, Camarillo’s community development director.

The regulations apply to developers working on landscape installations greater than 2,500 square feet and homeowners projects that involve more than 5,000 square feet.

Camarillo’s water laws for large-scale projects, which are less strict than the state’s, were passed in December.

At the Jan. 27 City Council meeting, the council passed guidelines on how the new ordinance will be applied.

Individuals interested in landscaping projects must submit a plan to the city for approval before permits can be issued and construction can begin.

Landscape designs that use recycled water aren’t exempt from the new law but are allowed to use more water for a landscape area than those that use potable water.

The city’s new water law allows applicants to help keep track of their own water use, which reduces the burden on city staff.

Dawson Drive

redevelopment

Michael Notestine, a principal planner for Mogavero Notestine Associates, presented conceptual designs for the redevelopment of the Dawson Drive Industrial Area to the City Council during last week’s meeting.

The Dawson Drive area is a collection of industrial buildings north of Pleasant Valley Road that Camarillo leaders and businesses want to renovate, as it serves as the major corridor between the city and the university.

“It’s seen as a major gateway into the community,” Notestine said.

Notestine said his firm has been working on the design for about a year and he was pleased by its reception from the City Council.

“It was received very well,” Notestine said. “We got a couple pieces of input on things that they prefer. They gave the staff the authority to take it out to the public, to the residences and business owners in the area.”

A draft of the redevelopment’s design was presented to the City Council. It will be made available to the public soon and will allow residents the chance to offer feedback and have their questions answered before construction begins.

Burrow said there are minor changes being made to the public review draft by city officials, and he expects it to be released to the public by mid-February.

It will be available on the city website, as well as on CD and at city hall on Carmen Drive.

The city will collect comments and questions from local residents.

Those concerns will be answered by the Citizens Advisory Committee during an upcoming meeting.

The information collected through the public review draft will be given to the city planning commission and the City Council in three or four months, Burrow said.