Saticoy Site Is Top Choice for Juvenile Hall

A 40-acre flower field in Saticoy emerged Friday as Ventura County’s top site to build a juvenile hall, setting in motion what officials hope will be a quick acquisition process.

The field, located at the edge of Santa Clara River just east of Wells Road, is favored because it is convenient to police agencies in the west county, said Cal Remington, probation agency director. The land is zoned for industrial development and is for sale, he said.

County officials looked at more than 20 properties for the $65-million project before settling on the Saticoy land, but listed four alternative sites in a report to the county Board of Supervisors.

An environmental review will look at such issues as the project’s impact on neighboring land uses, traffic and water supply. Of concern at the Saticoy site are initial findings that a potentially active earthquake fault is nearby and that the soil could be unstable in a quake.

Remington said initial talks with residents in a nearby Saticoy neighborhood had been favorable. Residents were worried that the juvenile detention facility might depress property values and pose a safety threat, he said, but they were attracted by the potential for new jobs and business for Saticoy’s restaurants and shops.

Pressure is on county officials to select and acquire a site because the county risks losing state funding if construction is not completed by May 2003. Two-thirds of the project’s cost is being provided by state and federal grants.

The new juvenile justice center is designed to hold up to 420 offenders, double the number now housed in four facilities.