Port Hueneme : Hearing on Proposed RV Park Is Delayed

A California Coastal Commission hearing that will decide the fate of Port Hueneme’s plan to build a recreational vehicle park at the beach will be delayed one month, officials said Wednesday.

The hearing, initially set to take place Aug. 13 in Huntington Beach, will be rescheduled for Sept. 8, Port Hueneme City Manager Dick Velthoen said.

He said city officials and Coastal Commission analysts agreed to postpone the hearing for a month to give them time to resolve differences over the potentially harmful effect the proposed RV park will have on nearby wildlife.

At issue is whether the RV resort will disturb the habitat of the California least tern, an endangered shorebird that nests on Ormond Beach, just south of the proposed park site. The Coastal Commission staff released a report last week saying that the resort would irreparably harm the nesting grounds, even if the city sought to lessen the effects by fencing off the area and instituting patrols.

Despite the staff’s apparent position that an RV resort should not be built under any circumstances, Velthoen said, the city believes it can find a middle ground in the dispute.

“We think we have a good shot at working with the city of Oxnard and Southern California Edison, the people who are responsible for protecting Ormond, to come up with something that is beneficial for everyone.”

The city must obtain approval of the project from the Coastal Commission in order to move ahead with its plans.