Camarillo Panel Weighs Project for Lemon Orchard : Development: Commission will consider change in zoning that could lead to building of homes and golf course on 236-acre site.

A proposal to turn a lemon orchard into a 302-unit residential development will come before the Camarillo Planning Commission tonight, amid concerns that the project would further speed the loss of agricultural land in Ventura County.

Camarillo-based Knightsbridge Holdings Inc. wants the city to change the zoning of the land, on the extreme northwestern border of the city, from agricultural to residential.

The proposal calls for the construction of 207 single-family houses, 95 condominiums and a 150-acre semiprivate golf course. The 236-acre site, near Wright and Beardsley roads, is home to the 168-acre lemon orchard, which was first planted in the early 1940s, and vacant land. The orchard has not been actively farmed since August, city officials said.

The project first came before the City Council in January, 1993, when the council voted to give developers approval to proceed with planning for the development, including an environmental study. However, any amendments to the city’s General Plan require a Planning Commission recommendation before final City Council approval.

Knightsbridge officials could not be reached for comment Monday.

Because soil quality varies at the site and because the property could serve as a buffer for adjoining farms under pressure of development, city staff is recommending that the commission approve the plan, said Matthew J. Boden, Camarillo’s director of planning and community development.

“We are concerned about the loss of farmland around the county but feel this project is in keeping with surrounding developments and will help preserve other farm parcels nearby,” Boden said.

David Buettner, the county’s chief deputy agricultural commissioner, said the loss of any farmland should be cause for “real concern.”

Buettner said the county has a little more than 100,000 acres of irrigated farmland remaining, and acreage is shrinking at the rate of about 1,000 to 1,400 acres each year.

“What we are talking about is a non-renewable resource,” he said. “Once it’s gone, it’s gone. Sadly, we have seen a steady decline in the amount of farmland in this county. We are very concerned about this trend.”

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Les Meredith, chairman of the Planning Commission, declined to comment on the Knightsbridge project, but expressed concern for the county’s diminishing farmland.

“For every square foot of land you pave, you create just that much more of a runoff problem, and that means less and less water is getting into the water table,” Meredith said. “Personally, because of that reason and others, I am very cautious when it comes to making decisions surrounding the use of agricultural land.”

Besides the issue of converting agricultural land, members of the public who have submitted written comments on the environmental impact report were concerned that the proposal included no parkland space or equestrian facilities. Knightsbridge officials have amended the proposal to include parkland, open space and equestrian facilities in their plans.

If the Planning Commission approves the project, it will come before the City Council later this spring.

FYI

The Camarillo Planning Commission’s public hearing on a proposal to turn a lemon orchard into a housing and golf course development starts at 7:30 tonight at City Hall, 601 Carmen Drive.