County Can Take Control of Land-Use Destiny

Next year, Ventura County voters may have the best opportunity in a generation to keep our beautiful county green and predominantly rural--that is, if the Board of Supervisors goes ahead with the proposal to establish a Ventura County Open Space District.

Forming an open space district is a bold move designed to give Ventura County control of its own land-use destiny. An exciting prospect, especially since the lessons of other efforts around the state can be gleaned for the keys to success and, in some cases, explanations for failure.

Hardly anyone who has ever driven over the Conejo Grade on the Ventura Freeway or taken California 126 from Santa Clarita into Ventura can doubt that Ventura County’s open spaces are both precious and threatened. The Ahmanson Ranch and Newhall Ranch developments, whatever their other merits or demerits, do serve to remind us that economic forces favoring development are pushing at our borders.

Zoning regulations and urban limits, the stuff of the Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources (SOAR) initiatives, cannot forever hold back the tide of urban sprawl, where development is dictated by the laws of economics.

The great benefit of an open space district is that it turns the laws of economics around to work in favor of open space. An open space district would preserve the land the old-fashioned way: by buying it. A far-sighted proposal would use the interim breathing period given by the SOAR initiatives to gradually purchase the open space that our children and grandchildren will need, as well as protect sufficient farmland to guarantee a continuation of Ventura County’s agricultural livelihood.

The open space district doesn’t have to become a land baron to do all this. Buying a scenic or conservation easement is a legal device that keeps land in private ownership--and on the tax rolls--but permanently restricts the kinds of development (if any) permitted on a property.

Farmland and habitat lands are two of the county’s most pressing preservation needs, and they are ideally suited to the use of conservation easements. Farmers and critters don’t need the intrusion of people.

Park and recreation lands are a different story. These areas must be for the use and enjoyment of people. Providing more strategically placed parkland will be the open space district’s greatest challenge in keeping the high quality of Ventura County’s ambience.

That Ventura County is a green oasis will not be lost on the extra 10 million residents that population experts predict will live in Southern California in 20 years. The growing visitation to our beaches, Los Padres National Forest and Santa Monica Mountains will continue, but must not be allowed to crowd out the needs of local residents. To prevent this from happening, Ventura County needs more high-quality parkland, more regional recreation areas.

Our local recreation and park districts do an exemplary job--they are some of the best-run in the nation--but providing large regional recreation areas can overburden their resources. Besides, these districts only cover a small portion of the county. It must fall to the county at-large to formulate and implement an overall open space and farmland protection plan.

What should that plan contain?

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First, it must consider acquisition of key lands and easements in a strategic sense. The Board of Supervisors will sit as the governing board of the open space district, and the board needs to think long-term. This is a difficult task for any elected official because day-to-day pressures require immediate action.

But in the parkland acquisition business, responding to the immediate crisis can mean that you are responding to the developer’s priorities and not your own. The most expensive way to stop a bulldozer is to throw money in front of it.

This is where the county’s unique position with SOAR gives it a temporary respite. Communities all over Southern California wish that they were in the position of Ventura County. We have the time to do it right.

The county shouldn’t squander this opportunity either by not establishing the open space district, or by buying the wrong lands once a district is created. The key to both is good long-range and science-based planning.

Almost as important as getting the land is keeping it up. Even open space needs attention. Trails, habitat restoration and, in some cases, fuel abatement are all demands upon an open space district’s treasury. Recreation lands need even more attention, with funding for ongoing maintenance being the biggest headache afflicting park professionals today.

This is a problem that the open space district can solve. On an ongoing basis, at least 15% to 20% of the revenue received must go back into servicing and upkeep. If done right, by emphasizing youth employment in these park jobs, the open space district can help solve other problems as well.

It is no coincidence that Ventura County communities have some of the most comprehensive open space plans of any in the country, and also that they have the lowest crime rates and highest citizen satisfaction. Living in beautiful, healthful surroundings leads to a better life, and that is what establishment of a Ventura County open space district is all about.