OJAI : Report Issued on Golf Course Project

A golf course development west of Ojai will not significantly affect the Ojai Valley environment as long as it complies with a strict set of traffic and water regulations, a draft environmental report concluded Wednesday.

The private course, first proposed more than five years ago by a Japanese businessman with a lifelong love of golf, has wound its way through a county EIR review committee toward an eventual date with the county planning commission, which must approve the project before work can begin.

The EIR’s release Wednesday marks the crucial evolution from working draft to “preliminary final draft.”

It is possible the EIR will graduate to final form at the next meeting of the EIR review committee Sept. 9, county officials said.

The proposed golf course has drawn fire from both environmentalists and Ojai Valley homeowners, who contend it will use too much water and create traffic problems along California 33. Some have also voiced concern over future development on the site.

The Farmont Corp., developers of the project, have proposed numerous measures designed to ease those concerns, including the installation of a park-and-ride facility along California 33 and a self-imposed cap on water use.

In addition, county planners have added several new modifications aimed at ensuring that the project will not adversely affect the environment.

The draft EIR will be open for public review and comment until the next meeting of the review committee, scheduled for Sept. 9, county officials said. Public comment on the document will be limited to modifications made since its previous form.