CAMARILLO : Project Approved North of Airport

The Ventura County Transportation Commission Friday narrowly approved a potential project that would allow hundreds of homes and businesses on farmland north of Camarillo Airport.

Although the commission has no jurisdiction over land use on the 290 acres west of Las Posas Road and north of the Ventura Freeway, the panel did need to adopt a finding that the development would not affect the airport.

After lengthy debate, the commission voted 4 to 3 that the project would not inhibit operations at Camarillo Airport, where thousands of planes take off and land each year.

Commissioners David Smith, Orvene Carpenter, Bill Davis and Brian Humphrey, who represent Ventura County cities on the commission, decided that the sprawling development would not hinder operations at the airport.

But county representatives Frank Schillo, Susan Lacey and Michael Wooten disagreed.

“Planes are going to be flying over this property,” Schillo said. “There’s no question about it. The planes are right there.”

The acreage lies within the northern traffic pattern, according to pilot Wally Boeck, who urged the commission to reject the proposal.

“We’re worried about what happens when something falls out of the air,” Boeck told the commission.

Any development of the vacant farmland is several years away. But the homes and businesses are being planned in part to accommodate the influx of students and new residents expected once a Cal State Ventura campus is built on nearby lemon groves.