Report Says Paring Plan Won’t Ease Traffic, Smog : Jordan Ranch: The study is no surprise to the builder. The firm has proposed reducing the development to 750 houses.

Scaling back the proposed Jordan Ranch development in eastern Ventura County from 1,152 houses to 750 would not significantly reduce traffic congestion and smog from the project, according to a revised environmental report.

The scaled-back project--proposed by the developer last year--would save about 300 oak trees, shrink a main access road from four lanes to two and add a 10.5-acre park, county planner Dennis Hawkins said.

Despite the changes, Hawkins said, the project’s effects on air quality, traffic and the area’s rural environment would only be slightly less than if the larger development were built. The project, as originally proposed, would have had “unavoidable and significant” impacts in all those areas, the environmental report said.

Potomac Investment Associates, which has an option on Bob Hope’s 2,308-acre Jordan Ranch in the rolling hills east of Thousand Oaks, scaled back its project months ago in hopes of gaining support from the Ventura County Board of Supervisors. Most supervisors opposed the original project, and they said their opposition remained firm after Potomac announced the smaller development.

A majority of the supervisors have said the project, which violates county open-space policy, probably will not pass unless it is cut to between 250 and 500 houses.

As part of the revised deal, Hope has offered to sell or swap 5,700 acres in Ventura and Los Angeles counties for $10 million and 59 acres of federal parkland that developers need for an access road to Jordan Ranch.

The access road is the linchpin to the proposed deal because developers have no other way to get into the ranch.

At only two lanes, rather than the four originally proposed, the road could not accommodate heavy traffic caused by an annual professional golf tournament at the PGA-approved golf course that is part of the proposal, county planners said.

Potomac would have to provide parking away from the ranch and shuttle spectators from the parking lot to the course, Hawkins said. There would be an average of 20,300 vehicle trips a day during the weeklong tournament, the report said.

Fred Maas, vice president of Potomac, said the developer would provide off-site parking and transportation only during the weekend rounds of the PGA tournament, when crowds are largest. The rest of the week, spectators could park on the shoulders of the two-lane road.

Maas said he had not reviewed the revised environmental report released late Tuesday, but its findings were no surprise.

“The real question here is--whatever the environmental impacts may be--is it worth putting up 750 homes and a golf course to preserve 5,700 acres of Bob Hope’s Santa Monica Mountain property for the public’s benefit?” he said. “That is something that the Board of Supervisors will have to decide.”

Under the land-swap proposal, the National Park Service would exchange 59 acres for the access road for 1,100 acres of Jordan Ranch. In addition, Hope would sell or donate to park agencies 4,600 acres in the Santa Monica and Santa Susana mountains for a below-market $10 million.

Maas said Potomac has no plans to scale back its project any more, but is willing to discuss the matter with public officials. Though the project is now before county supervisors, U.S. Interior Secretary Manuel A. Lujan and Gov. Pete Wilson have backed the land-swap proposal in concept.

A public hearing on the revised Jordan Ranch report is set for Sept. 4 at the County Government Center in Ventura. A committee of county officials will decide whether to send the report to the Planning Commission or to request more information.

After the Planning Commission review in October, the report will be sent to the Board of Supervisors, probably in November or December.

If Hope’s deal is rejected by the county, the city of Simi Valley has said it wants to annex Jordan Ranch. Simi Valley officials have said they favor the deal because Los Angeles County now plans to build a landfill on part of Hope’s property near the city.