Group Sues Over Boating Center

An environmental group has filed suit to overturn approval of a boating center at Channel Islands Harbor near Oxnard.

Habitat for Hollywood Beach filed suit Monday against the California Coastal Commission and Ventura County over the project, a two-story sailing center on the harbor’s west end that officials hope will breathe new life into the aging county-owned marina.

Harbor-area residents have long criticized the project, saying it would disrupt herons nesting in nearby trees.

They have tried to get it moved to the marina’s eastern flank, where they say it would be less upsetting to wildlife and more likely to spur retail activity.

The lawsuit, filed in Ventura County Superior Court, accuses state and county agencies of failing to conduct an adequate environmental review and failing to consider less-damaging alternatives.

“I firmly believe that had the county truly worked with the community from the beginning, the boating center would have long ago been built on the appropriate site,” Jonathan Ziv, president of Habitat for Hollywood Beach, said in a statement.

The Board of Supervisors approved the $6.2-million boating center last fall, and the California Coastal Commission signed off on the development project in March.

As envisioned, the 20,000-square-foot center would offer sailing instruction and marine research in partnership with Cal State Channel Islands.

A second-floor banquet hall would be available to the public for weddings, anniversaries and parties, generating much-needed revenue for the harbor.

Supervisor Steve Bennett said the lawsuit is without merit, saying the board conducted a full environmental review of the project.

“We went way above and beyond due diligence,” he said.