Land donation could spur others
Parcel is hillside conservancy’s first
By Bill Lascher 01/03/2008
It was one small donation to the Ventura Hillside Conservancy, but one giant leap for conservation in Ventura, or so conservationists believe.
The conservancy, which launched four years ago with the goal of preserving hillside land in Ventura for use as parks and nature reserves, announced Dec. 26 that it received its first donation of land. At just under an acre, the parcel was donated by Luis Dominguez, a Colorado resident who once lived in Ventura with his wife, Midge. The land is located below Grant Park on Cedar Place, in the Westside neighborhood of Ventura.
The parcel is dwarfed by the thousands of acres of hillside land owned by Lloyd Properties, LLC., but it marks the first opportunity for the Ventura Hillside Conservancy to prove that it can manage land. If it can effectively manage the Cedar Place parcel, the conservancy can build clout among other landowners and possibly prompt more land donations.
“It’s very important for any land trust to actually get their feet wet in the land stewardship business,” said Steven Svete, the president of the Ventura Hillside Conservancy. “Whereas we haven’t even begun to do a strategic plan for the land, it certainly is an opportunity.”
Any plan the conservancy makes for the new parcel may depend upon what Lloyd Properties does with the 215 acres of land in Ventura’s city limits and more than 3,000 acres in unincorporated county land it is in negations to sell. The privately-held Lloyd Properties owns most of the hillside land visible above the city of Ventura. The undeveloped land — currently used for cattle grazing and some oil extraction — was put up for sale in early 2007.
Nearly a year later, the fate of the only significant proposal to purchase the land remains uncertain. As previously reported in the Reporter , Santa Barbara-based real estate investors Investec Management Corp. teamed up with J.K. Mondol, a Ventura-based real estate developer, and Downtown developer Jimmy Mesa, to offer $60 million for the hillside property. A development proposal associated with that deal would also involve 70 acres already owned by Mondol. Potential investors are also being asked to commit to an open space component in any development on the land, and the Hillside conservancy’s name has frequently been floated as a recipient for any open space the buyers decide to donate upon completion of the deal (Mondol said at a presentation in early October, 2007 that the land would be donated to the conservancy, which isn’t part of the negotiations).
But escrow on that deal hasn’t closed. Originally extended past its Oct. 31, 2007 deadline to early December, 2007, the deal still has not closed and the closing date has now become more vague.
“Although a turbulent market has slowed us down, we are still working with the sellers and our lenders on getting the transaction closed, and committed to completing our open space plan,” Mondol said in a Dec. 29, 2007 email. “Things are looking good for a closing within the first quarter of 2008.”
Mondol did not respond to a request for more details about the delays or an explanation of how the Dominguez donation to the land conservancy might affect the open space component of his investment group’s plans.
Svete, meanwhile, said that donation is important to his group’s plan, even at its small size.
“If you think about it, most people in Ventura live on sixths of acres, that sort of thing,” he said. “When you think of 43,000 square feet, it’s nice. It’s a nice first step for us.”
The donation was especially important because the newly acquired land abuts Grant Park. One goal of the conservancy is to increase public access to parkland, as well as to expand wildlife corridors and to restore natural spaces. In a statement announcing the acquisition, the conservancy said it will work with the immediate neighbors of the land and evaluate “opportunities for trail access to Grant Park and for habitat restoration.”
While the donation could be a boon for the Dominguez’ tax status, it may also help the conservancy reach its goal of acquiring land along the city’s hillsides, its barrancas, or near the Ventura River.
“This gift demonstrates that conserving land matters to Venturans,” Ventura Hillsides Conservancy Executive Director Barbara Harison said in the release, “Our local land trust looks forward to building from this first land success story. It really is a testimony to the hundreds of hours of volunteer’s efforts and ongoing strong membership support in our community. With this gift, we commence our efforts in earnest to save Ventura’s special places.”
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