Coastal Commission OKs Navy Land to Expand Hueneme Port

Paving the way for the expansion of the Port of Hueneme, the California Coastal Commission on Friday approved the acquisition of 33 acres of surplus Navy land that could enable the facility to increase its operations by 50%.

But there are still hurdles, because Port Hueneme city officials say they won’t approve the deal until their conditions are met.

“We are very excited about this,” said Oxnard Harbor Commissioner Mike Plisky. “We generate millions of dollars worth of economic activity, and this property can only enhance our ability to grow and generate more dollars and jobs to the local economy.”

Will Gerry of Camarillo, a fourth-generation Ventura County citrus farmer who grows lemons for Sunkist, said the port’s expansion will make loading and unloading produce easier, and that’s good news for everyone involved in the local agriculture industry.

“The majority of our Pacific Rim exports--fruit going to Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore--is shipped from Port Hueneme,” he said. “From what I’ve heard, the expansion will ease traffic. It will be easier to route trucks through the port.”

Currently, the port is used by more than 360 international ships and thousands of small ships a year.

The Oxnard Harbor District, a self-sufficient port authority that does not rely on taxpayer contributions, contributes $300 million annually to Ventura County’s economy, said Kam Quarles, a harbor district spokesman. The port also generates more than 2,700 jobs locally, Quarles said.

But officials in the city of Port Hueneme, which has final approval over land acquisition, say they will not give the go-ahead unless the Navy promises to continue shoring up the coastline indefinitely.

“We are 100% behind the expansion,” said Port Hueneme Mayor Robert Turner. “We definitely want [it] to go through. . . . [But] until the sand replenishment issue is resolved, the city will not sign off on the expansion. The Navy can’t just transfer property and walk away.”

The sand-dredging project, which began in 1960, deposits nearly 2 million cubic yards of sand along the coast to help protect a sea wall on Navy property near the port. It is scheduled to continue only through the year 2006.

The city of Port Hueneme currently receives 5% of the annual revenue generated by the port. Its cut would increase to 6.25% after the deal is approved, in addition to a $150,000 advance.

Turner said officials hope for a response from the federal government on the sand-replenishment issue within two weeks.

“This is nothing new as far as the harbor district is concerned,” Turner said. “This is an issue that has been festering.”

In an attempt to resolve the dispute, U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) has written an amendment to a congressional bill that would require the federal government to pay 100% of the costs for the biennial dredging.

Economic analyst Mark Schniepp said the potential impact of the port’s growth could be significant for the county.

“It could act as a relatively large stimulus to the central coast,” said Schniepp, who noted that the port has seen an explosion in growth since it became an international port of entry in 1992. “You may see more import-export firms migrate into the county.”

“I heard an estimate that there could be $1 billion worth of business go through the port soon,” said Carolyn Leavens of Ventura, president of Pacific AgriBusiness Alliance.

“This is an agriculture port and we’re delighted that they are going to add that land to the port,” Leavens said. “This is indeed the doorway to the Pacific Rim.”

Plans to expand the port have been in the works for three years, said Quarles, since the Oxnard Harbor District and the city of Port Hueneme began discussing development of vacant Navy land adjacent to the port.

The land was once home to the Naval Civil Engineering Laboratory, which has undergone a reorganization and moved to the Naval Construction Battalion Center at Port Hueneme.

Quarles said the port district would like to begin its expansion renovation next week, when the Department of Transportation, which is arranging the transfer, hands over the property.

The harbor district will have to renovate the entire property, knock down nearly 90% of the laboratory building and build new warehouses at a cost of about $15 million to $25 million, Quarles said.

The plans also include using some of the land for a lighthouse museum and public access.

The benefits of expanding the port greatly outweigh the cost, Quarles said. He said it could increase its operations and its economic growth by almost 50%.

Already the port is the leading exporter of fruit in the state, according to Schniepp.

Times correspondent Scott Steepleton contributed to this story.