Hearing on Port Hueneme’s RV Park Plan Is Postponed

A California Coastal Commission hearing that will decide the fate of Port Hueneme’s plan to build a recreational vehicle park at the beach has been delayed again, this time until Nov. 17.

After some disagreement over when the hearing would be held, city and commission officials finally set the new date on Wednesday.

The hearing originally had been scheduled for today in Huntington Beach, then rescheduled for Sept. 8 in Eureka.

But because the commission wanted to hold the meeting in Southern California, it was moved to Nov. 17 at Burton Chase Park in Marina del Ray, commission analyst Merle Betz said. The hearing could take three or four days.

“We want to make sure that it provides the widest opportunity for public participation,” Betz said.

In the past two weeks, Betz said, the commission has received numerous letters opposing the project, including one from the state Department of Fish and Game.

At issue is whether the RV resort would disturb the habitat of the California least tern, an endangered shorebird that nests on Ormond Beach, just south of the proposed park site.

The commission has recommended denial of the amendment to the Port Hueneme Coastal Plan, which the project would require. A staff report said the resort would irreparably harm the nesting grounds, even if the city sought to lessen the effects by fencing off the area and initiating patrols.

Port Hueneme City Manager Dick Velthoen said the city has no problem with the delay.

“There’s some issues that still have to be worked out, and it will give the respective agencies the time to work them out,” Velthoen said. “It wouldn’t be a good idea to go to the Coastal Commission with issues that hadn’t been fully explored and agreed upon.”