Ultimatum to Settle Ahmanson Ranch Deal

Nine lawsuits, unexpected financial demands and endless paperwork have snarled negotiations on the complex Ahmanson Ranch deal and delayed public acquisition of thousands of acres of parkland well past a Jan. 12 deadline.

Frustrated by the holdup, the National Park Service’s regional superintendent Friday set a new deadline: the end of the month.

If papers are not ready to sign March 31, the federal parks agency will withdraw the $19.5 million it set aside to purchase the land, said David Gackenbach, superintendent of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. Such a move could scuttle the entire project, key negotiators said.

Ventura County’s Board of Supervisors in December gave Ahmanson the green light to build a $1-billion mini-city in the Simi Hills. But the supervisors linked their approval to a side deal, in which entertainer Bob Hope would abandon plans to develop nearby Jordan Ranch and instead sell 7,437 acres of rugged open space to public parks agencies.

In exchange for dropping his dream of a luxury development and golf course on oak-studded Jordan Ranch, Hope will receive an undisclosed financial interest in the Ahmanson development.

With the lawsuits threatening to delay the project for up to five years, the entertainer is having second thoughts about handing over his land, said Donald Brackenbush, president of the Ahmanson Land Co. If he sells the property and then a judge blocks the Ahmanson project, Hope will be left with $29.5 million from park agencies but without additional revenue from the project.

“In Bob Hope’s mind, the $29.5 million is a down payment” for handing over Jordan Ranch, Brackenbush said. “It’s not all billy-goat country. It has a substantial amount of value, more than $30 million.”

Before Ahmanson can begin building, Hope’s property must be transferred to the public domain and permanently protected as open space, according to a development agreement approved by Ventura County supervisors in December. That cannot happen if the park service withdraws its money.

Times staff writer Daryl Kelley contributed to this report.