Builder’s Proposal on Flower Assailed

A developer’s plan to protect an endangered flower on the site of the proposed Ahmanson Ranch subdivision does not meet state requirements, according to a new state report.

Opponents of the 3,050-home project say the 20-page report by C.F. Raysbrook, regional manager of the Department of Fish and Game, is a major obstacle for the landowner, Washington Mutual Bank. But the company reiterated its resolve to begin construction next year.

The report is part of a supplemental environmental review the project must undergo. The Department of Fish and Game is the third agency in recent months to criticize the environmental review of the 2,800-acre property in southeast Ventura County.

Raysbrook wrote that Washington Mutual’s plan to protect the San Fernando Valley spineflower is vague and subject to human interference, and his department “will require additional, specific detail.”

The developer proposes an on-site preserve and planting the spineflower elsewhere, as well as protections for the endangered California red-legged frog, also found on the site.

The Fish and Game Department is one of four agencies whose concerns must be addressed before the development can be built. The state water quality board and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have also expressed concerns about the project. The fourth agency, the Army Corps of Engineers, is expected to deliver its opinion within two weeks.

Tim McGarry, a Washington Mutual vice president, said the company views the latest report, and the criticisms of the two other agencies, as constructive rather than a setback.

“We think the environmental review process is going exactly as it should,” he said. “We will do everything we can to make sure that the concerns of the agencies are fully addressed.”

Raysbrook said in his report that although his department has concerns regarding the supplemental environmental report, “We believe that each of these issues can be addressed during preparation of the final document.”

But Tsilah Burman, executive director of Rally to Save Ahmanson Ranch, said the Fish and Game report is a major setback for the developer.

“I think this is very significant because it’s one more responsible agency that is calling into question the adequacy of the environmental impact report,” she said. “It says to Ventura County that they really need to reject this report and start from scratch.”

A Ventura County committee reviewing the environmental issues will hold a hearing June 19.