Camarillo Protesters Decry Plans for Mall

A mall. A mall! Not in this piece of paradise, scores of residents say. This is not the San Fernando Valley. This is not L.A.

Plans to build a large factory-outlet shopping center have drawn a groundswell of opposition from residents concerned that the $83-million project would clog the area’s narrow roadways and further the urbanization of Ventura County.

The 857,000-square-foot project, to be built on 87 acres of farmland along U.S. 101, would contain 100 stores, including a cluster of name-brand outlets, a 200-room hotel, movie theaters, a skating rink or miniature golf course, restaurants and a day-care center.

The developer, the Sammis Co. of Irvine, said the project would bring the city $2.3 million a year in sales tax revenue. A city study shows the project is needed because most Camarillo residents now shop elsewhere, said Jeff Birdwell, a Sammis vice president.

“Many communities see this type of center as beneficial,” he said.

The factory outlet concept started on the East Coast, and about 200 have sprung up nationwide, Birdwell said. The idea is just catching on in California, where about 10 are open, he said.

But residents here are unimpressed.

“Camarillo is a little bit of paradise after leaving the San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles,” said protester Herb Warneke. “To cover it up with concrete is just horrible.”

About 150 people, many of them retirees, picketed the city Planning Commission recently, chanting: “Stop the mall, stop the mall, we don’t need the smog at all. We don’t need the congestion, we don’t need the crime. Stop the mall, and we’ll all be fine.”

Because of questions raised by opponents, the commission delayed a public hearing until Oct. 1. The final decision will be made by the City Council. City officials said they will not take a stand until after a public hearing.

“Otherwise, there is no point in having a public hearing,” Camarillo Mayor David Smith said.

The concerns and issues are clear, Smith said. The project would turn farmland into a high-volume shopping center, adding traffic and air pollution, he said. “People see it as a decision about the kind of city Camarillo will be in the future,” the mayor said.

About 200 letters of protest have poured into City Hall, he said.

The mall in Camarillo would be operated by the Willey Creek Co., which recently opened a similar center in Vacaville, west of Sacramento. There, tourists pull off Interstate 80 and pour out of tour buses for a few hours of shopping, Sammis officials said.

It is a vision that has Warneke and other Camarillo residents worried. The project is expected to lure up to 40,000 vehicles a day from the Ventura Freeway, the developer said. The freeway already carries about 100,000 vehicles daily through Camarillo, city engineers said.

Camarillo residents, especially those who live in the nearby Woodside Greens tract, said noisy traffic would foul the air. The loss of farmland is an even greater concern, said Chris DeSales of Woodside Greens.

“A lot of people moved out of Los Angeles and Orange County because they value the open feel of this community,” he said.

Camarillo Controversy

Here is a look at the proposed 87-acre shopping center that developers say will bring $2.3 million a year in sales tax to Camarillo, but opponents insist will clog the area’s narrow roadways and continue the urbanization of Ventura County.