Mian Plaza and Conference Center project in Camarillo roars back after major fire in 2022
After being ravaged by a dramatic fire two years ago, much of the planned Mian Plaza and Conference Center project in Camarillo is nearing completion.
Councilwoman Susan Santangelo, who represents District 2 where the project is located, commended the forward movement and the economic boost the center will bring to the city.
"I'm thrilled to see the progress," Santangelo said in a text message Friday.
Home2Suites by Hilton — a four-story, 122-room hotel — is about 90% complete, said local hotelier TM Mian in an email Friday. He plans to announce an opening date in coming months.
Four surrounding buildings dedicated to business space have been built and are ready to be furnished, he said. He declined to say what businesses will be moving into the buildings.
A second four-story hotel with 155 rooms and a conference center — an Embassy Suites — is in the early construction phase. Mian said this area of the plaza will include a swimming pool, outdoor seating and a Brazilian steakhouse.
Mian expects work to wrap up in summer 2025.
Various landscaping and statue installations will provide a finished look to the area in about two months.
The 14-acre project site, visible from Highway 101, is located across from the Camarillo Premium Outlets near the corner of Las Posas Road and West Ventura Boulevard. It will feature 651 parking spaces.
Engulfed in flames
The current status of the plaza, with its white, stucco walls and tile roofs, is a far cry from what people saw one evening two years ago.
Shortly after 7 p.m. on April 12, 2022, a driver on Ventura Boulevard in Camarillo called 911. The wooden skeleton of the future Home2Suites hotel was engulfed in flames.
Deemed a second-alarm fire — the highest level for a structure fire — the blaze shot flames into the night sky visible for miles away. The Ventura County Fire Department later estimated the fire damage at about $60 million.
Two years later, Mian remains optimistic about the project's future, as he did at the time of the incident.
When asked about the blaze, Mian replied, “What fire?”
Brian J. Varela covers Oxnard, Port Hueneme and Camarillo. He can be reached at brian.varela@vcstar.com or 805-477-8014. You can also find him on Twitter @BrianVarela805.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Hotel project in Camarillo roars back after major 2022 fire
