In a split vote on Feb. 19, the Ventura County Planning Commission approved a 328-unit farmworker housing complex on the site of a former lemon orchard north of Ventura.
The 3-2 vote came after two meetings to consider the approval and hours of public testimony. Some speakers asked commissioners to vote no, raising concerns, from traffic gridlock to fire hazards in the unincorporated area off the Ventura Avenue.
Residents in the adjacent Valley Vista neighborhood have long opposed the project, signing a petition, hanging banners and creating a website. On Feb. 19, several called for more environmental review…