Surplus Navy Land May Offer Harbor, City Opportunity

Port Hueneme city leaders and harbor officials hope to acquire surplus Navy property to expand economic opportunities at the regional port, officials said Friday.

The city and Oxnard Harbor District Commission will consider plans in the coming week to acquire jointly a 31-acre, oceanfront parcel that once housed the Naval Civil Engineering Lab (NCEL), shut down last year in the base closure process.

“This would be a win-win situation for both the city and the harbor district,” said Port Hueneme Mayor OrveneCarpenter.

Tentative plans call for using an eight-acre strip contiguous to the port to enhance traffic in and out of the south harbor, according to Ray Fosse, president of the Oxnard Harbor Commission.

The beachfront section would be open to the public, and the remaining 20 acres would be leased to a potential industrial customer connected with the port, he added.

Working jointly, the two government bodies will try to persuade the Navy to donate the land, officials said.

“We hope it won’t cost anything,” Carpenter said. “The government could just transfer the land to the city. We think the possibility is good.”

But officials cautioned that the plan is still in its early stages, and there is competition for the site. Neither group has formally agreed to work with the other, or indeed, even to the acquisition. The plan is to be discussed at separate meetings next week.

Assuming both parties approve the plan, a presentation outlining the proposal must be made to a committee appointed to consider new uses for the lab.

The U.S. Department of the Navy will make the final decision on who gets the former lab. Several others have expressed an interest in acquiring the space, including nonprofit homeless groups, Oxnard Union High School District, and the state university.

Port Hueneme city Councilman Dorill Wright said vying for the land with homeless groups could produce an emotionally charged and complicated situation.

“These are politically touchy issues, no question about it,” Wright said. “But at the same time, there are other military properties that may lend themselves better to their purposes.”

Officials said they believe they can persuade the Navy their plan provides the best all-around economic impact to the area.

“We’ve done a feasibility study,” said Carpenter. “And it says that the highest and best use for that property is harbor related.”

The study was recently completed by Williams/Kueblebeck and Associates, he said.

Fosse pointed out that the Navy transferred a parcel in Oakland to the Oakland Port Authority a few years ago.

“We know that it is possible,” Fosse said. “We know there is precedent for it. But we don’t know if it will happen.”

Officials said it is too early to say how much money the acquisition would actually bring into the region. The proposal is still a long way from realization, they said.

“This is probably not going to develop overnight,” Carpenter said. “And this is not going to be something that bails the city out of needing money.”

Times staff writer Miguel Bustillo contributed to this story.