Service District OKd for Ahmanson Ranch

Backing a recommendation by a Ventura County land-use agency, the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday agreed to form a service district to provide everything from drinking water to street sweeping in the planned Ahmanson Ranch community.

The supervisors voted 3 to 0 to create the county’s fifth service district to manage the utilities for the proposed 2,800-acre project, a move proposed by the Local Agency Formation Commission in November.

County officials said the formation of the service district would be a transitional step to Ahmanson Ranch’s eventual incorporation as a city.

Although the Ahmanson Ranch development was approved by the supervisors last December, county officials said it could take three years before the construction begins because nine lawsuits have been filed against developers over environmental and traffic concerns.

Eventually, the Ahmanson Ranch project is expected to create a business and residential community of 8,600 residents south of Simi Valley near the Los Angeles County border. The development must have at least 500 residents before incorporation could be legally considered.

In exchange for the project’s approval, the developer agreed to sell 10,000 acres of open space on the neighboring Jordan Ranch to the National Park Service.