City postpones discussion of Greens at Camarillo Springs development to April

Brian J. Varela, Ventura County Star
·2 min read
The rendering shows the planned The Greens at Camarillo Springs development project. The Camarillo City Council recently postponed a presentation and discussion on the project until April due to COVID-19 concerns.
The rendering shows the planned The Greens at Camarillo Springs development project. The Camarillo City Council recently postponed a presentation and discussion on the project until April due to COVID-19 concerns.

Camarillo residents will have to wait until April to voice their opinions on a planned development at the Camarillo Springs Golf Course.

The city postponed until April 13 an agenda item for next week’s City Council meeting on amendments to the General Plan. Among the amendments was one for The Greens at Camarillo Springs, a planned 248-unit project within the golf course property.

City spokesperson Michelle Glueckert D’Anna wrote in an email last week the city is anticipating a large number of residents to attend the meeting in person. Due to the current state of the pandemic in Ventura County, the discussion was moved tentatively to April 13, she said.

“The city of Camarillo is concerned about the ability to safely accommodate this meeting in person,” D’Anna said in the email.

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An outspoken group of residents, especially those who live in or near the project area, have opposed it in part due to increased traffic to the area.

However, the Camarillo City Council voted against stopping the planning process in September 2020. The Council was concerned efforts to stop the project could bring legal action.

Staff have traditionally given General Plan amendment updates during the Council’s second meeting in January although municipal code requires the discussion to take place by April, according to D'Anna.

The developer, New Urban West, Inc. of Santa Monica, said the postponement did not affect their planning as no City Council action would have occurred.

"We continue to work ... to design a project that finally resolves existing flooding problems, delivers a state-of-the-art golf course, and thoughtfully adds senior housing to meet the needs of the fastest growing demographic in Camarillo," said Jonathan Frankel, New Urban West project manager, in a statement Friday.

The city is currently reviewing the project's environmental impact report, D'Anna said. After that, the project will go before the Planning Commission and then City Council for approval.

Plans to discuss The Greens at Camarillo Springs, a planned 248-unit project within the golf course property, won't be discussed before the City Council until April.
Plans to discuss The Greens at Camarillo Springs, a planned 248-unit project within the golf course property, won't be discussed before the City Council until April.

The project will transform about 31 acres of the 182-acre Camarillo Springs Golf Course into 248 single-family homes allocated to seniors age 55 and older, according to a staff report. The 18-hole golf course would be shortened to 12 holes to make way for the project.

The developer is requesting zoning of the property be changed from rural exclusive to residential planned development with a designated land use of low-medium density residential, according to the report.

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: Greens at Camarillo Springs development discussion pushed to April