OK Expected for New Golf Course, Trail Network

A long-awaited proposal to build a golf course and equestrian trail system in Hill Canyon, just outside the city, may finally get approval Tuesday when the City Council and Ventura County Board of Supervisors consider a joint agreement to share part of the expected revenue.

Dubbed the Hill Canyon Regional Recreational Facilities Project, the 277-acre complex would include a challenging 18-hole public golf course, a wetlands preservation area and numerous trails for hiking and horseback riding near the city’s Hill Canyon Sewage Treatment Plant.

Thousand Oaks owns the vast majority of the necessary land but needs 27 acres, or about half of the county’s adjoining Santa Rosa Park, to complete the complex. For its land, the county would receive $250,000 plus a portion of golf course user fees--estimated at $60,000 to $70,000 annually--for the next 25 years.

“This will help preserve the area,” Mayor Andy Fox said. “And it will allow the county to do some things at that park that they have not been able to do because of funding shortages.”

County officials plan to use the money to develop the park’s 23 remaining acres by building an equestrian center, a community center, sports fields and bicycle and horse staging areas--facilities that residents of the unincorporated Santa Rosa Valley have been demanding for years.

“It’s a piece of land that’s been talked about for a long time,” said Supervisor Maggie Kildee.

For years, officials from Thousand Oaks and the Conejo Recreation and Park District have discussed proposals to put the city land at Hill Canyon to better use. Since 1993, the city has discussed proposals with the county to acquire some of Santa Rosa Park, which is located on the southwest corner of Santa Rosa and Hill Canyon roads, the would-be entrance to the golf course.

The Board of Supervisors must approve the agreement by a four-fifths vote. The City Council only needs a majority.

If the city and county approve the pact as expected, Thousand Oaks plans to conduct an analysis to determine the best configuration for the golf course, as well as the layout of the clubhouse and the trail network. In addition, the city would need to determine the development constraints caused by the area’s diverse plant and animal life.

“We do need a new golf course, and this is the best place to put it,” said Councilman Mike Markey, who was attending a golf tournament in Palm Springs on Friday for the California Assn. of Police and Sheriffs. “I’d like to see us put this out to bid and get started on construction as soon as possible.”

The course is not expected to open until 1998 at the earliest, according to a city report. Thousand Oaks and the park district intend to form a joint powers authority to operate the facility.

Golf will be a big subject of discussion next week at City Hall. On Monday, the City Council will consider proposals to renovate the city’s existing golf course, Los Robles Greens.

More than 800,000 rounds of golf have been played at Los Robles Greens during the past eight years--making it one of the most popular courses in Southern California. But the heavy use has left the 32-year-old, 111-acre course in disrepair, according to city officials.

With a new course at Hill Canyon, Thousand Oaks would alleviate the overcrowding at Los Robles by giving local golfers another option. And, as Fox is quick to point out, it would give Thousand Oaks another source of revenue, although city leaders have yet to determine how much they will charge.

“One of the main reasons Los Robles has deteriorated so much over the years is because it is overcome with people,” Fox said. “It’s incredibly popular. This will improve that. It will not surprise me at all if Hill Canyon becomes extremely popular too.”