Spears Mfg. midtown helideck on
Tuesday Planning Commission Agenda

A new manufacturer in the early stages of opening a vacant plant is good news tempered with what some see as an intrusion if a helideck for helicopter landings is allowed atop the West Santa Barbara Street building.
The Santa Paula Planning Commission will meet Tuesday, June 24 at 6:30 p.m. to consider the CUP by Spears Manufacturing to allow a helideck at the plant, the former International Paper facility at 140 W. Santa Barbara St.

The meeting will be held in City Council Chambers, 970 E. Ventura St.
Spears Manufacturer was approved to move into the former International Paper facility in March 2013; the company, whose headquarters is in Sylmar, fabricates thermoplastic pipes, valves and fittings.
The company is projected to eventually employ an estimated 100 to 200 people.
The facility, located in a primarily residential area just north of West Main Street, and just east of Rodney Fernandez Gardens, has already been through some design changes, including the addition of 10 48-foot tall silos.
According to the application, the use of the 1,444 square foot helideck would be restricted to one flight a day, seven days week, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
The helideck would be a freestanding steel structure topped by a 38-foot by 38-foot metal helideck landing surface approximately 14-feet above grade. A 6-foot wide metal “safety net” for fall protection would be constructed around the helideck, which would have two staircases for access.
The commission will also consider a beer and wine license for a new restaurant - Yokosuna Sushi - to be located in the Santa Cruz Plaza, 250 W. Harvard Blvd. There is also a Yokosuna Sushi located on Oxnard Boulevard in Oxnard.