Camarillo City Council moves forward with hotel/conference center off 101 Freeway

By Logan McFadden

St. John’s Healthcare Foundation submitted a letter to the City requesting a grant for the purchase of equipment for the new Catheterization Lab. On June 10th, the Council discussed the grant and requested further information from Brian Pierik, City Attorney, regarding the grant. Mr. Pierik reported back to the Council. He opined that a grant for public health meets the requirement that public funds must be used for public purposes. The second provision requires that the grant money will not go into construction; otherwise the prevailing market wage will impact construction costs. Mr. Pierik recommended that he send a letter to the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) for a determination that a grant from the City will not trigger the prevailing wage clause. Councilmember Jan McDonald suggested that the letter should include more specifics in order to preclude an adverse decision by DIR. Mayor Bill Little instructed the City Attorney and City Manager, Bruce Feng, to further research the grant request and hold the matter in file pending more information for the Council’s consideration. The Council discussed a grant ranging from $100,000 to $200,000; however, the specific amount has yet to be determined.

The next agenda item was the five-year Capital Improvement Program (CIP). The program also includes the Camarillo Sanitary District. The program includes 59 projects. The comprehensive capital expenditure program sets forth projects for buildings and grounds, storm drainage, transportation, water, sanitary, and redevelopment. The program indicates the location, size, and estimates of cost for all facilities and improvements to be financed from various fund sources. The Planning Commission determined that CIP is consistent with the City’s General Plan. The Council voted to adopt the five-year CIP as presented.

The City has long planned for construction of a hotel and conference center in Camarillo, at the southeast corner of Las Posas Road and the U.S. Highway 101/Ventura Freeway (adjacent to the Promenade shopping center). Land was purchased in 2004; however, the project was stalled by the great recession. Given the current strong market, the consensus of the City’s consultant and proposed developer is that now is the right time to move forward. The project will be built on 12.4 acres. The proposed developer is exploring plans with Hilton Hotels and Embassy Suites to manage the facility once completed. The Council voted to authorize the City Manager to execute an Exclusive Negotiation Agreement between the City and The Mian Companies (proposed developer). The initial concept is to build a 3.5 to 4 star hotel. The Council stated that the proposed project would have to meet Camarillo’s high standards.

The City Council and Camarillo Sanitary District conducted a detailed review of the proposed 2015/2016 Budget and amendments to the 2014/2015 Budget on June 3, 2015. The Budget was unanimously adopted by the City Council on June 24, 2015. Budget information can be found on the City’s website.

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Logan McFadden is a Citizensjournal.us city reporter and a recently retired banker, residing in Camarillo. He volunteers for the Heritage Action Sentinel team and serves as the AMAC Delegate to the 26th Congressional District.

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