Plan for Golf Courses at Park Finds Support : Recreation: Officials say proposal for site near Moorpark could generate $250,000 for Ventura County.

Officials from the Ventura County Department of Recreation Services are supporting a plan to build two 18-hole public golf courses at Happy Camp Regional Park near Moorpark.

At a meeting Monday of the county Parks and Harbor Commission, recreation services officials are expected to argue that the county could benefit financially from leasing a portion of the regional park for the two golf courses.

“A conservative figure is that (the two courses) could generate $250,000 (annually) in revenue for the county,” said Robert Amore, the lease manager of the park.

In exchange for using the Happy Camp site, any company developing a golf course there would be required to return at least 5% to 20% of its profits to the Department of Recreation Services, Amore said.

The department receives no tax support to pay the $5.2 million it takes to run the county’s 10 parks, four beaches and Channel Island Harbor, Amore said. Instead, the department depends on money generated by rents and fees to pay for recreation services in the county.

A portion of the money generated by golf courses at Happy Camp would be used to repair trails and build other amenities in the regional park, Amore said. The two golf courses would be built on the southern 700 acres of the 3,700-acre park, leaving the upper portion acres untouched by development.

“It’s a much less intensive use than . . . previous proposals for that portion of the park,” he said.

The golf course proposals come on the heels of a failed plan to turn the southern portion of the park into an 1800s Western-style theme park that would have included a water slide, a 450-room hotel, and a number of air-conditioned tepees for overnight stays.

The theme park proposal fell through in May when the developers, Encino-based Quor Resorts, decided not to renew the option on their county-approved lease of the property.

City officials from Moorpark had lobbied against the project, citing potential traffic problems and fear that a Disneyland-like park would be built near the city.

City officials agree that the golf courses would have less of an environmental impact on Moorpark than the previous proposals. But they have expressed skepticism about the economic viability of more golf courses in the area. The city is considering proposals for four other public golf courses in and around town.

“We’re not opposed to the concept, we’re just concerned about how this will affect traffic, air quality and water here,” said Moorpark Mayor Paul Lawrason. “And frankly, there are a lot of golf courses being planned out here. I want to make sure this fits into the designated land use for the area.”

Happy Camp park is in unincorporated county area outside Moorpark city limits, but it falls within the city’s area of interest. As such, the county must notify the city about any impending developments there, Lawrason said.

If approved by the Parks and Harbor Commission, the plan would go before the Board of Supervisors. The supervisors would have to amend the county’s Master Plan before the golf courses could be built.

The Department of Recreation Services would then open up bidding, allowing 45 days for golf course developers to submit their proposals for the two courses.