Channel Islands District Protests $170-Million Harbor Plan : Development: Board fears proposed aquarium and hotels will lead to congestion and tarnish ‘ambience’ of community.

Politicians from Oxnard, Port Hueneme and Ventura County envision an aquarium at Channel Islands Harbor as an ideal source of revenue and family entertainment.

*

But residents of the adjacent Silver Strand, Hollywood and Hollywood-by-the-Sea beaches have a different vision of the aquarium, part of a new development proposal for the harbor: They fear a congested tourist trap that will tarnish their placid communities.

The board of the Channel Islands Beach Community Services District, which runs the area’s utilities and weighs in on political matters, is drafting a letter to the county protesting a $170-million plan for the harbor that includes the aquarium, condominiums and two hotels.

The project “would change the ambience of the harbor and the community,” said Gerard Kapuscik, the district’s general manager. Although he said some residents support the plan, “naturally, there are concerns.”

The plan, which would be funded primarily through leases, is expected to be reviewed by county supervisors in November.

“People are very concerned about the impact of 1 million people coming into the area,” said Marcia Marcus, one of the district’s five directors. “Where are they going to park? How are they going to get in and out of here? . . . (Residents) are just concerned about protecting our way of life here.”

The Channel Islands Harbor already attracts about 1 million visitors a year, officials say. That figure would double if the aquarium--expected to cost $20 million to $60 million--is built and performs as expected.

In addition, county leaders are proposing the construction of an aquatic-theme hotel alongside the aquarium, to be located off Victoria Avenue at Murre Way. That would add to clogging in the area, detractors say.

Silver Strand resident Gordon W. Birr said traffic from the harbor has always been a nuisance to residents of the beach community. The aquarium plan, he said, would only make matters worse.

“We don’t get that much money out of the harbor,” Birr said. “But we suffer from all the traffic and the problems surrounding it. . . . If they want to build an aquarium, they should put it next to the ocean, not in a man-made environment like the harbor.”

Victoria Avenue is the only way to reach Silver Strand and Hollywood-by-the-Sea, and residents worry that the aquarium would create a ceaseless traffic jam for them to trudge through every day.

George Johnson, who has lived in Silver Strand since the 1950s, said he supports plans for an aquarium--somewhere else.

“I think an aquarium would be nice, but maybe they should put it (further) into Oxnard,” Johnson said. “Why they’re going to ram it in here is beside me. It’s too much.”

Not everyone in the beach district is against the aquarium, however.

“I think it’s great,” said Eleanor Oliver, owner of the Beachcomber bar in Silver Strand. “It would probably help my business.”

Oxnard Mayor Manuel Lopez said he and other aquarium backers have considered the effect the facility would have on beach district residents and are aware that some measures to alleviate traffic may be needed.

“If you plop something down that is going to bring in 1 million people a year, it would not be approved,” Lopez said. “We know that traffic mitigation is an important element of this plan. It’s natural that the residents there would be concerned.”

Part of the aquarium plan involves using a Navy-owned parcel across Victoria Avenue for parking, and county Supervisor John K. Flynn has said that some method of diverting traffic will be devised.

County supervisors and the Oxnard and Port Hueneme city councils chipped in for a $16,000 study on an aquarium at Channel Islands Harbor.

Two consultants will work with a local committee to recommend the best size for the facility, the type of exhibits it should contain and how many people it would attract.