Firm Tries to Sell State on Concert Shell by Seashore

The world’s largest concert promoter is in preliminary talks to build a 5,000-seat amphitheater at the county fairgrounds in Ventura--a project that, if approved, would oust the speedway racing that has been there for 23 years.

New York-based SFX Entertainment Inc., which scrapped a controversial plan last year to build a 16,000-seat concert venue at Camarillo Regional Park, is looking at the fairgrounds’ arena after being referred by Ventura Mayor Sandy Smith, fair officials said.

Roger Gibbs, Seaside Park executive director, stressed that the discussions are only preliminary and that the fair board that oversees operations of the fairgrounds must consider any proposal.

“If an opportunity is out there, we can’t arbitrarily say no, so we need to meet with people,” Gibbs said. “We have to ask first, ‘Is it good for Seaside Park?’ and secondly, ‘Is it good for the city and the county of Ventura?’ ”

SFX officials could not be reached for comment.

The company became a giant in the concert promotion industry during the last three years after going on a $2-billion buying spree, scooping up companies such as San Francisco-based Bill Graham Presents and Los Angeles’ Avalon Attractions. SFX now owns or operates 120 venues in 31 of the top 50 markets in the United States.

The purchase of Avalon in 1998 gave SFX control of venues that include the 1,800-seat Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza and Orange County’s Irvine Meadows Amphitheater, which holds 15,500.

Gibbs said the company’s idea is to build an “elaborate spired tent structure” in the existing grandstand and arena area, which is on three to five acres in the northwest portion of the 62-acre fairgrounds.

The company hopes to bring major musical acts to the venue, Gibbs said, although he did not cite specific artists. Gibbs said SFX would probably lease the land from the state, which owns it.

*

Approving the amphitheater proposal--which would first have to go through several state departments and possibly the California Coastal Commission--could affect some of the events at the Ventura County Fair, which runs for 12 days every August.

It would also mean eliminating the speedway racing that takes place there every Saturday night 10 months out of the year, Gibbs said.

“The upside is this would be a very first-class facility, bringing name entertainment on a very regular basis to Ventura,” he said. “The downsides are it would eliminate the motorized racing and possibly the larger-scale rodeo and arena events, and I am very sensitive to that.”

Jim Naylor, owner of Raceway Pro-Motions Inc., said he’s not happy about possibly losing the site for the Ventura Raceway, which he said he has built into a major sprint car racing attraction during the last two decades. The company has a year-to-year lease with the land, which is up for renewal every January.

“It would break my heart,” he said. “And I don’t think it will be in the best interest of the community to put an amphitheater there.”

Naylor said he doubts a concert venue could be successful there, not only because of parking issues but because the weather is sometimes strange and unpredictable.

He said ousting the raceway would not only displace the 2,000 people who come to watch every weekend but the racers themselves, forcing them to travel farther to race. Ventura Raceway is the only dirt track for sprint car racing between Santa Barbara County and Riverside County, Naylor said.

He also expressed concerns about the fairgrounds moving from a multiuse facility to a single-use concert venue, which he doesn’t believe is the purpose of the public land.

Gibbs acknowledged those concerns, and reiterated that the state agencies would have to weigh the pros and cons of the proposal.

“We have to look at everything, and this could bring revenue to the entire area,” he said. “But we also don’t want to sacrifice an existing program like Naylor’s raceway. He’s been a great partner.”

In March 1999, SFX scrapped an amphitheater project at Camarillo Regional Park originally proposed by a subsidiary of Avalon, said Johnny Johnston, director of the Ventura County general services and parks departments.

A judge ruled that the county had failed to address the concert venue’s environmental impacts, and SFX officials at the time were concerned about the threat of more lawsuits.

Ventura’s mayor said that shortly after that project fell through he talked with SFX officials about making Ventura Harbor a concert venue, but could not work out the details--particularly concerning parking.

“Rather than lose them, I thought they should look into the fairgrounds as an alternative,” Smith said. “I think Ventura could use a venue of that size.”

He said in order to see a major act now, county residents have to drive to Los Angeles or Santa Barbara.

“A concert venue is great for the community,” Smith said. “It would help local businesses as well as bring some culture. I would just hope the fair board would find a way to work with them. And if they can’t make it work, hopefully [SFX] will find some other place in the vicinity.”

Smith said that when he talked with SFX officials they had expressed interest in putting on 60 shows a year, and acts would come from all musical genres, with the exception of rap and heavy metal.

Fair board President Tony Grey said he is open to SFX’s ideas, but said he knows few details because a formal plan has yet to come before him.

“We will entertain anything that proposes to bring revenue to the fairgrounds,” Grey said.

Gibbs said SFX officials have visited the site and discussions have focused on whether a project would be feasible for both sides. He is now waiting to hear back from the concert promoter about setting up another meeting.

“The ball’s in their court,” he said.