03 • 28 • 2023
Massive New Development at the Ventura County Fairgrounds Prevented
Victory! Surfrider and the community helped to prevent a massive new development at the Ventura County Fairgrounds.
In March 2023, the Ventura Fairgrounds Board of Directors delivered a final 'NO' on the development proposal. The development proposal included a baseball stadium, parking lots, and further commercializing our coast with cookie-cutter malls. Surfrider opposed this development for several reasons including:
The site was historically wetlands, it is in a high-hazard zone for frequent flooding. Especially with sea level rise. There was little consideration or studies done on the environmental impacts on the coast. Access to local beaches would have become increasingly difficult.
The Fairgrounds Board voted down the proposal 5 - 0 in October 2022 and March 2023. Surfrider Ventura submitted a comment letter and spoke at public hearings on the proposal.