City Approves Beachfront RV Park : Port Hueneme: The council action comes after two years of protests from environmentalists and nearby homeowners.

Despite two years of protests from environmentalists and neighboring homeowners, the Port Hueneme City Council Wednesday approved a proposal to convert 10 acres of municipal beachfront property into a recreational vehicle resort.

The council voted 4 to 0 to approve the resort for 143 recreational vehicles, saying the estimated $400,000 in annual revenue that it will produce will be a boon to the city’s treasury. Council members also said an environmental study concluded that the resort would pose no significant environmental harm.

“This is a vehicle that will allow the city to bring in revenue for city services without charging extra taxes,” said Mayor Orvene S. Carpenter.

Councilman Ken Hess abstained from voting because he owns property near the proposed site, which is about a quarter of a mile from Hueneme Pier.

Beach-area residents and environmentalists continued their efforts to derail the project right up to the council’s vote. Opponent John Charney said property values will decrease and the city will lose property tax dollars as a result. “I think everyone will lose if this goes forward,” said Charney, who owns a condo that will have its ocean view blocked by the resort.

But many of the 65 in attendance voiced support for the project, including longtime resident Brenda Klopfstein. “Budgetary constraints have forced this council to become creative thinkers and develop income for our city,” Klopfstein.

But Charney and other critics contend that the project’s environmental study does not adequately assess the potential harm to nearby endangered wildlife and plant species. The report also downplays the effects on traffic and air quality and of removing prime beachfront land from public use, said Sierra Club attorney Paul Neibergs in a letter to the council.

Neibergs said Wednesday’s action increases the possibility that the Sierra Club will join other conservation groups and beach residents in filing a lawsuit to stop the resort’s construction. Neibergs and other critics said they will probably wait and see, however, if the project clears two other major hurdles.

The State Lands Commission must amend a 1972 agreement with the city, specifying that the beach property be left open for public uses such as sunbathing and jogging. The project must also be approved by the California Coastal Commission, which oversees development along the state’s coast.

Two of the three members of the State Lands Commission--state Controller Gray Davis and Lt. Gov. Leo McCarthy--are seeking the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate this year and may be unwilling to offend potential voters by approving the controversial project, said Tom Figg, Port Hueneme’s director of community development.

Winning approval from the California Coastal Commission may also be difficult if City Councilman Dorill B. Wright--who is also a coastal commissioner--does not win reappointment to the commission, a city official said.

If there are no snags, construction of the $2.3-million resort could begin in about nine months, Figg said.

The resort was proposed by the city more than two years ago as a way to bolster revenues without imposing new taxes or cutting city services such as police protection.

The city would charge $25 per night for recreational vehicles. Visitors would have full use of a pool, spa, cable hookups and a convenience store at the resort.