Council Approves Industrial Park Plan

The City Council gave final approval Wednesday to allow industrial uses in the area surrounding the historic Camarillo Ranch House.

As a condition for approving an industrial park, Camarillo officials required that the developer donate the house, the barn and the 4.4-acre parcel to the city. The title of the property is expected to be transferred to the city in August.

The Camarillo Planning Commission approved the project one day earlier and required that the project’s design be compatible with the house.

Vista Development Co. of Dallas has been negotiating with descendants of Adolfo Camarillo, the city’s founder, to purchase the historic eight-bedroom house at 3771 Mission Oaks Blvd.

The industrial park will be divided into 16 parcels and include offices, restaurants and light-industrial or warehousing distribution facilities.

The deal is expected to close by the end of April and construction is set to begin in May, said Scott Johnson, vice president of Vista Development. The first building could be ready for occupancy by the end of the year and the project will be completed within five years, he said.

Diamondback Bicycles has signed on as the industrial park’s first tenants, Johnson said.

For a number of years the city had designated the property for an industrial park and for the house to be preserved as a historical site.

At the recommendation of the Ventura County Cultural Heritage Board, the city is also mandating the developer to survey and photograph smaller dilapidated structures on the property before tearing them down. The documents will then be made available through the Camarillo Library and the Pleasant Valley Historical Society.

Once in the hands of the city, the ranch house and barn may be turned over to a nonprofit group that would assume responsibility for restoring and operating the property as a place for tours, movie and television filming, weddings, banquets and other special events.

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Although the Rancho Camarillo Heritage Foundation and the Pleasant Valley Historical Society expressed interest in assuming joint responsibility for the Camarillo House on Wednesday, council members agreed to accept proposals from other nonprofit organizations for the next three months.

Councilman Kevin Kildee and Mayor Charlotte Craven were appointed to an ad hoc committee to review the proposals.