City to Unveil Scaled-Back Growth Plan : Ormond Beach: Oxnard will announce today the latest proposal for the 1,200-acre site. A developer wants to build a housing project.

After years of haggling with a developer over a gargantuan housing project at Ormond Beach, Oxnard officials will unveil a rival plan today with drastically reduced expectations for the 1,200-acre area.

Architects will present the Oxnard City Council with a scaled-down development proposal for Ormond Beach that includes high-rise beachfront condominiums, an aqua-farming parcel, a pier, a marina and a 100-acre theme park.

City leaders originally had even bigger plans for the area: a 7,000-seat amphitheater, an aquarium and a 700-acre amusement park akin to Disneyland.

The Baldwin Co., which owns a portion of Ormond Beach, had a different idea early on: 10,000 homes.

Both have amended their plans in the last two years, with Baldwin seeking fewer homes and the city opting for a less extravagant entertainment complex.

The latest proposal comes after the council asked city staff to devise a plan for Ormond Beach that contained a major tourist draw and took into account the area’s fragile wetlands, said Oxnard Community Development Director Richard Maggio.

“They asked for a pier, a clearer program for wetlands and their restoration and . . . a commercial recreation area that could have the potential for an aqua park or theme park,” Maggio said.

“They also wanted a different type of configuration for the residential areas, more of a neighborhood feel,” he said. The city plan does not specify how many homes would be built.

Two consultants helped Oxnard officials draw up their proposal, which also includes a golf course, a school and park area and a hotel. Architect Norman Pfieffer of Hardy Holzman Pfieffer Associates, one of the two consulting firms, will present the project to the City Council today.

The Irvine-based Baldwin Co. will unveil a revised plan of its own that includes 5,398 residences along with a hotel, an 18-hole golf course and a shopping district.

“They’ve made some refinements, but their plan hasn’t changed much,” Maggio said. “They’re still talking about a lot of residential development.”

Projects to develop Ormond Beach have been discussed around Oxnard City Hall since 1987. From the beginning, environmentalists have complained bitterly that the beach’s wetlands--where the California least tern and several other endangered species are flourishing--would be wiped out.

“Southern California wetlands are unique,” said Alan Sanders of the Ormond Beach Observers, an environmental watchdog group. “All of us need to ensure that there are at least a few places where natural order is preserved.”

The current council revived plans to develop the area last year after a two-year hiatus. The city’s revised plan contains an aquaculture area where abalone and lobsters may be raised, Maggio said.

An environmental impact report on development at Ormond Beach is under way and should be complete early next year. The City Council will then review the report--which analyzes several proposals, including one with no development--and choose a final plan for the area, Maggio said.

“We’re not talking about handcuffing the Baldwin Company,” Councilman Andres Herrera said. “But at the same time, who needs another housing project? We want something that takes advantage of our coastal resources and preserves our environment but also provides something for the people of Oxnard.”

FYI

An environmental impact report on Ormond Beach development is due by early next year. The City Council will review the report and choose a final plan for the area.