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Planners OK Project to Develop 290 Acres

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Plans to develop 290 acres of farmland on the western edge of Camarillo have moved ahead, with the city Planning Commission narrowly approving an amendment to the General Plan to allow for building hundreds of homes and businesses.

After a marathon public hearing that stretched until early Wednesday, commissioners voted 3 to 2 to recommend that the City Council allow the zoning changes.

The council on Feb. 28 will consider the zoning changes and annexation of the property, located north of the Ventura Freeway between Las Posas Road and Central Avenue.

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Ran Rancho Associates is planning to build almost 1,900 homes on about 110 acres. The rest of the property would be developed into parks, offices and retail space, according to city planners.

But Planning Commissioner William Q. Liebmann said the project was too close to the Camarillo Airport, which is just across the Ventura Freeway.

“The plan itself is a very good one,” Liebmann said. “If it had been proposed for, say, a desert, and was not near an airport, I wouldn’t have any problem with it at all.

“But I’m concerned that one of the two primary approach patterns is directly over this property,” said Liebmann, who along with Commissioner Walter Lusk voted against the project.

Several members of the public opposed the project, which has been dubbed the Ponderosa Corridor Specific Plan.

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