Staggered by Quake, Piru Is Back on Its Feet

Monica Nolan thinks of Piru as Ventura County’s best-kept secret -- one she hopes won’t last much longer.

As an analyst for the county’s Redevelopment Agency, Nolan has spent three years working to revive the tiny community hit hard by the 1994 Northridge earthquake.

The 6.7-magnitude temblor closed Piru’s quaint downtown of fewer than a dozen shops. Some businesses moved into trailers while waiting for repairs. Others packed up, leaving residents without necessities such as a bank and a market.

Fast forward nearly nine years, and Nolan’s efforts can be seen throughout the community, which has grown by 700 residents since the quake to 1,800 today.

“Things are finally starting to pop for Piru,” Nolan said.

The changes include a renovated inn with a restaurant, an ice cream shop, new housing subdivisions, a dude ranch and a town square that officially opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Saturday. “The town square is truly the foundation upon which this community is being rebuilt, and it will only go uphill from here,” Supervisor Kathy Long said.

There is a second new restaurant in the works, and the Fillmore and Western dinner train will begin running to Piru next year, connecting it with the nearby towns of Fillmore and Santa Paula.

A railroad spokesman said no start date has been set, but March is the target.

Trains will stop at the yellow-and-red depot that is the centerpiece of Piru’s new town square. It will also serve as a visitors center.

The town square, seven acres of abandoned railroad property, includes a bandstand pavilion, restrooms, fountain, parking, picnic tables, benches and a pedestrian and bike path.

The $1.7-million project, funded by grant and loan programs, had been in the planning for three years, with construction starting last January.

“There are three main ideas behind the town square,” Nolan said. “First is to create more retail space for the town; second is that it will be an entry point for visitors; and third is that it provides a town meeting place for the community.”

She believes that the changes give Piru a chance to revive economically.

“We used the town square project to show private investors that there is opportunity in this town,” Nolan said.

One person who could see the silver lining was Tim Cohen. In the last two years, the Camarillo resident has bought a 6,000-acre ranch nearby and restored the town’s white-columned hotel.

“I could see the Redevelopment Agency was putting a lot of attention on Piru,” said Cohen, whose family has been in the thoroughbred racehorse business for 35 years. “After evaluating the ranch ... and the inn, I knew they could be economically viable.”

The first of Cohen’s visions became reality in October, when the Heritage Valley Inn opened.

The inn was built in 1888 as a second home to Piru founder David C. Cook, who built the Piru mansion as his first residence.

For many years it was known as the Piru Hotel, then Mountain View Hotel and finally Round Rock Hotel before becoming a home for the elderly in the 1950s. It closed in 1989.

Cohen has now converted the 15-bedroom, three-bath establishment into an inn with 11 bedrooms, 12 bathrooms and a full-service dining room.

The taupe-colored building with white trim and a wrap-around porch helps anchor downtown at Main and Center streets.

The inn’s restaurant is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but manager Jeff Thomas said he expects the schedule to expand as business picks up.

“We’re hoping the train will bring more people out here and finally make Piru a destination,” Thomas said.

The inn also ties in with Cohen’s plans for the ranch called Rancho Temescal.

Located about two miles east of town, it’s a working cattle and horse ranch that Cohen is opening up to guests.

“It’s a wonderful, beautiful piece of land,” Cohen said. “I think it’s great to save open space, but it’s also great to share it.”

Visitors can ride horses or harvest fruit from ranch orchards. They may also herd and brand cattle.

“This will be a very hands-on, working-ranch experience,” Cohen said.

The dude ranch should be fully operational by the end of January, Cohen said.

Cohen said he has hired about 20 people, most of them from Piru.

The town’s housing is also on the rebound.

Real estate agent Brian Guevara said homes built in the mid- to late ‘90s sell for nearly $300,000, and prices for small, older homes are in the $100,000 range.

“I think Piru is one of the last diamonds in the rough,” he said. “You can buy a house in Piru for a little over $100,000, with the same house costing closer to $200,000 in Ventura.”

Nolan said Habitat for Humanity is building 22 homes, and a 60-townhome project is also in the works.