Welcome to OxnardRenaissance.org

  OxnardRenaissance.org focuses on Oxnard placemaking, urban design & civic beauty, planning, and economic development issues. We support infill, incremental, small-scale, walkable, affordable, and market-rate housing, and mixed-use development in downtown Oxnard, neighborhoods surrounding the downtown, and along Oxnard’s main street corridors and civic nodes.

  Oxnard is not the sleepy farm town of past years. We are a more than 225,000 strong multi-cultural city, and if we do not plan properly – sprawl will continue to be our future. Today Oxnard zoning and urban design incentivize sprawl, lousy architectural design & civic beauty, and poor planning & urban design.

  Downtown Oxnard does have a new Downtown Form-Based Code and Design Guidelines (Downtown Code) (2019) to allow for the proper implementation of the Downtown Oxnard Vision Plan Charrette.  OxnardRenaissance.org supports updating Oxnard’s Development Standards and Design Guidelines. Oxnard must encourage housing, of all types, in the Central Business District (CBD), and indeed, along our main street corridors and transit nodes.

  There is no Architectural Review in the entire City of Oxnard. As of the pandemic even the limited and flawed Downtown Design Review Committee (DDRC) (further weakened in the new Downtown Code – 2019), an advisory committee with no decision-making authority, has been reduced to 3 members from 5 and suspended.

  Be a part of the solution – join OxnardRenaissance.org  Work with us to encourage Oxnard decision & policy makers to do a better job planning Oxnard’s future. OxnardRenaissance.org is a voice for better Oxnard placemaking, urban design & civic beauty, and planning for Oxnard.

   OxnardRenaissance.org is the personal Oxnard planning blog of Roy Prince. Roy was the founder of the Oxnard Community Planning Group (OCPG). For the last several years Roy has been working with others interested in the Oxnard planning community to improve urban design & civic beauty in Oxnard. It has been a slow and painful process. However, Roy Prince via the OCPG has had a good number of successes:

  • Influenced the OCCTIP process to include more walkability and people-oriented design on Oxnard Boulevard. The OCPG authored document: A LIVABLE OXNARD – A new investment, economic development and multi-story housing vision for Oxnard – is included in the OCCTIP report addendum
  • Was instrumental in bringing the Congress for the New Urbanism – CA Chapter to Oxnard for the wonderful 5 day pro-bono Charrette
  • The OCPG created the Earth Day Tactical Urbanism event – 5 blocks of protected bike path between Plaza Park and H Street
  • Via the OCPG encouraged the hiring of a Director of Downtown Development to implement the Charrette recommendations.
  • Participates in Community Planning Workshops – to improve civic beauty & urban design in Oxnard
  • OxnardRenaissance.org produced the Citizen Jane movie event at Heritage Square Hall
  • OxnardRenaissance.org contributed important changes to the new Oxnard Downtown Code & Architectural Guidelines
  • Founded the Oxnard Urban Explorations Guild – stay tuned for great placemaking and planning activities and events for Oxnard
  • Continues to advocate for better placemaking and planning at Planning Commission and Comunity Workshops

  Roy Prince via this website and several Oxnard groups has had a significant influence and impact on better planning in Oxnard. But we need more people to get involved in Oxnard planning issues.

  OxnardRenaissance.org posts on subjects we think will inform and educate – and while posts may not be specific to Oxnard – all will assist us to deepen our appreciation for and understanding of universal and New Urbanist planning principles and issues.

  Of course, we hope you will stick around, and if you like what you see – please share our work, Facebook page, and the OxnardRenaissance.org website with your friends and associates.

  OxnardRenaissance.org attempts to improve the discourse in Oxnard by providing insightful placemaking information each week. Be a part of the “Better Placemaking for Oxnard” conversation at OxnardRenaissance.org

  Your host, Roy Prince, is a licensed architect, urbanist, and Oxnard resident. Roy is an advocate for good urban planning and is the author of the OxnardRenaissance.org website/blog and newsletter.

  OxnardRenaissance.org is a voice and champion for better planning urban design & civic beauty in Oxnard. We invite you to become involved with OxnardRenaissance.org. OxnardRenaissance.org and the City of Oxnard need you to step up and join in the better placemaking effort.