PUBLIC HEARING SET ON THEATER PLAN.

Byline: Deborah Sullivan Daily News Staff Writer

A proposed 370-acre amphitheater and golf course project at Camarillo Regional Park will have its first public hearing Tuesday, pitting those who view it as a lucrative recreational resource against those seeking to protect open space.

The county Parks Department is asking the Board of Supervisors to certify the environmental impact report for the project and to approve its conditional use permit, said Robert Amore, lease development manager for the Parks Department.

While county parks officials said a revised version of the plan resolves the most serious problems with the original one, residents and environmental groups sent letters pleading with the board to deny it.

``I beg you not to approve conversion of Camarillo Park into an amphitheater nearly the size of Hollywood Bowl,'' wrote Ruth Johnson, of Oxnard. ``The rural character of this county should be cherished for the treasure that it is.''

The project, consisting of a concert bowl and golf course, would span a 370-acre section of land with construction on about half that, said Amore.

While the plan originally called for building over 48 acres of wetland, it was modified to include the wetland into the golf course design, resulting in loss of only three acres of wetland, Amore said at a hearing before the county Environmental Report Review Committee last month.

The plan would cause the loss of 43 acres of Venturan coastal sage scrub, but the developer would compensate by replacing that habitat with an equal amount of preserved open space within the park, a staff report to the board said. If there is not enough open space, the developer will purchase land outside the park to make up for the loss, the report states.

Changes to the road and grading on the project would protect the Dudleya veritye, an endangered plant found at the site, it said.

And adjustments to the sound system would limit noise levels outside the amphitheater's seating area.

Supervisor Kathy Long said she will seek clarification Tuesday on some environmental issues and on the lease agreement, but said she strongly supports the project.

``The project is good for the taxpayers in that it provides a revenue source to the Parks Department at no additional cost to the taxpayers,'' she said.

However, despite the Park Department's efforts to minimize environmental impacts, the Los Padres Chapter of the Sierra Club wrote a letter sternly warning the board that the project violates local, state and federal laws.

``The project fails to comply with state guidelines contained within the Environmental Quality Act, which requires identification and mitigation of all environmental impact prior to certification,'' the letter states.

``The project fails to comply with state and federal Endangered Species acts. The project fails to comply with the Clean Water Act. The project fails to comply with the county's own guidelines for planning.''