County Line Proposal Is Stalled Over Coastal Commission Staff Questions

• CCC Staff Analyst Deems LCP Amendment Application Incomplete

BY BILL KOENEKER

The proposed subdivision of a County Line tract of 6.37 acres into five lots and the vacation of Ellice Street for a planned gated community has been delayed for a California Coastal Commission hearing because the CCC staff deemed the application incomplete.

County officials approved the project located in Ventura County and the application for a Local Costal Program amendment was forwarded to the coastal agency. However, the county received a letter last month from CCC staff analyst James Johnson listing three pages of questions that needed to be clarified to obtain a zone change through the LCP amendment process.

At the same time, the coastal agency issued a deficiency notice to Ventura County indicating the county cannot issue a coastal permit prior to the Coastal Commission certifying the LCP amendment.

In the CCC letter, Johnson states the staff wants more discussion about how a subject 2.39 acre site, currently designated commercial, can be changed and what is the potential impact to visitor serving and recreation needs.

“An economic feasibility analysis prepared by a qualified economic specialist is needed to address the economic feasibility of developing the site for visitor serving commercial uses, including but not limite to uses such as a bed and breakfast, hotel, motel, retail, parking and other uses,” the letter adds. The letter also has a long list of questions about the market value of the land as commercial and what other options have been explored for the land.

Johnson also wrote that a clarification was needed concerning the proposed change of the public street designation for Ellice Street to a private street. “The materials submitted do not appear to include this re-designation of public land to private land or privatization in this amendment,” he noted.

At the same time, Crowne Point Estates which has an option to purchase additional properties from Skylark Investment, is the current owner of the Yerba Buena Water Company, which services the County Line area and is requesting a rate hike and seeking approval from the California Public Utilities Company for an increase of over $100,000 or 112 percent, in test year 2007.

The commission staff will hold a public hearing on Wednesday evening on February 7 at the Camp Hess Kramer conference center at 6:30 p.m. the increase, according to the water company, is necessary to offset additional operating expenses, private cost for repairs and maintenance and “to provide an adequate rate of return.”

Crown Pointe, which is headed up by Richard Morris and Ron Coleman wants to develop a planned gated residential community of 12 homes ranging in size from 6000 square feet to 10,000 square feet. Future plans call for reopening and dividing the former Camp Joan Mier into one-acre lots for seven home sites. The fire station would be relocated. Neptune’s Net will remain with improvements and the next-door realty office would be demolished and become an outside dining area.

The company also wants to underground a total of 50 power poles on Tonga, Yerba Buena, Ellice and Tongareva. Crown Pointe also owns 57 acres in the hills above Tongareva and Ellice and estimates the county’s slope density might allow five homes at the most.