Oxnard Boating Center Blocked by State

The California Coastal Commission on Thursday blocked development of a boating center at Channel Islands Harbor in Oxnard, saying the project was inconsistent with the harbor’s overall zoning plan.

State commissioners meeting in San Diego rejected the plan by a vote of 6 to 4, pleasing environmentalists who claimed that the $6.3-million project would open the door to unchecked development at the harbor near Hollywood Beach.

Ventura County Harbor Department Director Lyn Krieger, the center’s most visible advocate, could not be reached for comment after the vote.

Environmentalists who fought the project in court, contending that the 18,000-square-foot building would harm a nearby heron colony and force the closure of a public park, called the plan’s rejection by the state a victory for the people of Ventura County.

“This would have been an introduction to all kinds of piecemeal construction in this harbor,” said Lee Quaintance, secretary of the Beacon Foundation, an environmental group that sued the county over the proposed center. “They tried to slip something through on the side without an amendment to the harbor’s public works plan. The people of Ventura County deserve more thoughtful planning of the county’s natural resources.”

Vickie Finan, president of the Beacon Foundation, said her organization supports the construction of a boating center at the harbor, just not at the site suggested by the county.

“We’re not opposed to development if it goes through the proper process to get the best location,” Finan said. “You can’t just go willy-nilly and do whatever you feel like doing because you think it’s a good idea. That’s the wrong approach.”

County officials had proposed building a two-story center on the harbor’s west side as a way to reinvigorate the harbor, which they see as an underutilized county asset. It would have offered sailing and ocean safety classes to all ages, as well as rowing, canoeing, kayaking and marine education classes taught in partnership with Cal State Channel Islands.

In December, the county Board of Supervisors voted 3 to 1 to place the center on Bluefin Circle, despite the efforts of some neighbors who suggested moving it to the east side of the harbor. Supervisors said they were worried a delay would cause the county to lose a $4.5-million grant from the state Department of Boating and Waterways to help build it.

Supervisor John Flynn, who represents the harbor area and was the board’s lone dissenting vote, argued against the project before the Coastal Commission on Thursday. Afterward, he said his main concern was not only the heron rookery but the closure of a popular public park.

“The harbor is there for everyone, and the more things you put at the harbor that cost people money to get into, the fewer people that can enjoy it,” Flynn said. “I continue to believe that we should not eliminate any of our public parkland.

“I want the boating center, always have. If the public works plan doesn’t allow this on the other side, then it’ll have to be amended. But today, the people of the county won against what the Board of Supervisors did, or tried to do. The people scored a victory today.”