Ventura County Backs Resort on Wild Tract

Parts of a 3,700-acre wilderness area, owned by Ventura County since 1980, would be leased to private developers for construction of a $30-million hotel and resort, according to a plan tentatively approved by county officials.

The money earned from leasing about 700 acres of the Happy Camp Canyon Regional Park, kept closed because of a lack of funds, would pay for opening the rest of the land to hikers, campers and horseback riders, county officials said.

“The wilderness area has beautiful groves of oak trees, some as old as 150 to 200 years, year-round natural springs and lots of wildlife,” Andy Oshita, county parks manager, said.

The parkland, in a valley about a mile north of Moorpark, was obtained from the state in exchange for ownership of Mandalay Beach property in Oxnard, Oshita said. But, without funds to pay for rangers and maintenance, the county has had to keep Happy Camp closed, he said.

The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday tentatively approved allowing a developer to build a 150-room hotel and conference center, 18-hole golf course, tennis courts, an equestrian center and a camping area for tents and recreational vehicles on the southern 700 acres of the park.

The resort area would be profit-making for a developer, but proceeds from the lease of the county land would pay for the public to use the other 3,000-acre wilderness area, county officials said.

Tax Money Not Needed

Fees have not been established for use of the private facilities or for entrance to the public wilderness area, officials said. The development would not require any tax money, Oshita said.

Dale Karr, a county recreation facilities planner, said the hotel and resort would probably be Western styled. “We want it to fit in with the rest of the area,” he said.

It would be several years before a development is built, officials said. Final approval of plans by the Board of Supervisors is expected to take two years. The county is seeking bids from developers, officials said.