County Will Consider Lease of Airport Land to Store Cars

A portion of Camarillo Airport may resemble a car dealership next year if a proposal by the Ventura County Department of Airports and an Oxnard shipping company is approved by the Board of Supervisors.

Airport department staff and officials of Pacific Vehicle Processors Inc. will ask the supervisors at their meeting Tuesday to approve a contract that will allow the shipping company to store as many as 1,500 Mitsubishi autos on an undeveloped lot at the airport for three to six months.

In exchange, the county could collect an estimated $108,000 in rental fees for the proposed six-month contract, which would start in January.

The deal represents a chance for the Department of Airports to generate much-needed revenue from what is now vacant land at the airport, said Michael Musca, the department’s administrative officer.

“We see this as a win-win for all parties,” Musca said. “We suffered a downturn this year in rental income, and we see this as an effective way of making up some of those revenues.”

Under the deal, the county would lease 10 acres of vacant land to Pacific in exchange for a $18,000 monthly rental fee. As part of the proposed agreement, the company would provide fencing, lighting, security and maintenance.

Oxnard Harbor District officials, who oversee Port of Hueneme shipping operations, said they helped connect company officials with the county’s airports staff to arrange the deal, which will provide overflow storage space for the cars this spring.

A spokesman for Pacific Vehicle Processors, citing security concerns, declined to comment on the proposal Thursday.

Kam Quarels, a harbor district spokesman, said car storage at the district’s portside lots and a 10-acre satellite lot in Oxnard are expected to be filled to capacity with the imported cars next year. The cars are delivered to dealerships across Southern California from their Ventura County storage locations.

“We were able to help Pacific solve a storage problem by getting them in touch with the county,” Quarels said. “The lot at the airport is planned to be used just for overflow.”

Wally Boeck, chairman of the county’s Aviation Advisory Commission, said Thursday that he had not been informed of the proposed deal, but said he did not believe that it would present any hazards or problems to aviators.

“This is the first I’ve heard of this, but on the surface, it sounds like a good deal for both parties,” Boeck said. “There’s plenty of space out there. I would generally be supportive of a use such as this.”

Likewise, the proposal bypassed the Camarillo Airport Authority, a county report said.

Camarillo City Councilman David M. Smith, who chairs the city’s airport authority, could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Musca said that because of scheduling conflicts with the two panels and because the company requested a quick decision on the land’s availability, the proposal was reviewed by county counsel and the chief administrative office, then prepared for the supervisors’ consideration.

“It came down to timing,” Musca said. “We didn’t want to miss this opportunity, so we made a decision.”