CAMARILLO PARK BOWL, GOLF COURSE PROPOSED.

Byline: Jesse Hiestand Daily News Staff Writer

More than 325 acres of meadows and wetlands at Camarillo Regional Park would be transformed into a 16,000-seat amphitheater and 18-hole golf course under an ambitious plan designed to salvage the county Parks Department's budget.

Avalon Productions, owner of the Irvine Meadows Amphitheater, has vowed to spend at least $6 million to build a concert venue comparable to the landmark Hollywood Bowl. And Blue Tee Golf Co. of Omaha, Neb., has agreed to spend $6 million to develop a public golf course, clubhouse, restaurant and driving range.

Plans also call for the Ventura County Parks Department to receive up to $500,000 from the operations each year - about half from concert ticket sales and half from green fees.

``We are looking at meeting the recreational and entertainment needs of Ventura County residents at a venue that is ideally suited for that,'' said Blake Boyle, deputy director of the department. ``One of the positive benefits will be that the revenue generated will be used to maintain and operate existing regional park facilities used by all the residents.''

But the project is not without its drawbacks, as outlined in an environmental report released May 5. The project would disturb or eliminate about half the park's vegetation, the study notes, and also would destroy about one-fourth of its coastal sage scrub. Additionally, there would be problems with traffic, noise and air pollution.

Residents concerned about the environmental issues plan to voice their opposition to the project at a meeting at 1:30 p.m. July 23 in Room 311 of the county Hall of Administration, 800 S. Victoria Ave., Ventura.

``It's open space, and it ought to stay that way,'' said Cynthia Leake, vice president of the Environmental Coalition of Ventura County. ``The county doesn't belong in the business of building things like this. Period.''

Boyle said, however, there would be measures to mitigate the problems and he hopes the Board of Supervisors will approve the environmental report at its Aug. 5 meeting.

The measures would include preserving more of the wetlands, installing noise-monitoring systems and running shuttle buses between the amphitheater and off-site parking lots.

``We looked into the points of concern they brought up and are in the process of addressing the ones that are legitimate,'' Boyle said.

Parks officials are lobbying hard for the project, hoping that revenues will help solve a looming budget crisis in the department.

Officials see this project and others as a way to offset the loss of revenue from long-term leases for restaurants, motels and shops at the county-owned Channel Islands Harbor.

The harbor operation has been part of the Parks Department for nearly 20 years, but is being spun off under a five-year plan implemented last year.

In addition to the amphitheater and golf course in Camarillo, county officials are considering building a golf course in Toland Park outside Santa Paula and transforming the 700-acre Happy Camp Canyon Regional Park into an equestrian center.

``We're moving on all three, but most actively on the amphitheater,'' Boyle said.

Boyle said the amphitheater would give local residents a chance to enjoy top musical entertainment in an outdoor setting during the summer season.

``A lot of people have told me they dread the thought of jumping in their car and fighting all that L.A. traffic and driving an hour or two to Orange County or San Bernardino to see a concert,'' he said. ``It would be really nice to have that available here.''

While some environmental advocates say the park should be left as is, others - such as John Buse, an attorney with the Environmental Defense Center - say it should be enhanced for natural flood control and wetlands.

``We have a problem with the use of a public park primarily for that purpose,'' Buse said about the proposal for an amphitheater and golf course. ``But we also question if it will even generate all that revenue, anyway.'' He said revenue for parks from the project likely would prove illusory.

Opponents of the plan are holding public meetings and distributing information about what they see as its potential damage to the environment.

Buse called it too soon to predict whether opponents will file a lawsuit to try to stop the project.

``It's really uncertain the project will come close to completion, and we may not even need to think about things like lawsuits,'' he said. ``It's a long ways away and a lot of other decisions have to be made before that can happen.''

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Map: Proposed Camarillo Regional Park