Camarillo Firm Chosen to Develop Montecito Estate

Sheehan and Associates, an architectural and contracting firm, has been chosen to subdivide and develop the valuable Backus/Vanocur estate, a 6 1/2-acre ocean-view property in Montecito.

F. Paul Sheehan, the Camarillo concern’s owner, plans to build three multimillion-dollar estates on the vacant Santa Barbara County site.

“The property is surrounded by magnificent homes,” he said. “I would say land and houses there are at least as costly as in Beverly Hills.”

Sheehan expects that obtaining subdivision and other permits to take 1 1/2 to two years. He estimates that the first house will be completed in 2 1/2 to three years.

Virginia Backus Vanocur is the trustee representing the owners of the estate. She and her husband, TV newsman Sander Vanocur, live in Washington.

Sheehan and Associates moved to Camarillo from Channel Islands Harbor last year. The company has represented Backus/Vanocur in a successful battle against county planners’ efforts to downzone the property, a move that would have made subdividing impossible.

The Sheehan firm, established in 1977, has designed and built custom homes, apartment buildings, office buildings and industrial projects throughout Ventura and Los Angeles counties.