Concept Proposal
January 25, 2022
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Where: 312 E. EL Roblar Drive; parcel #017-0-090-685
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Zoned: CPD/TRU/DKS
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Area: 2.04 acres
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Proposed Elements: Picnic tables, benches, natural play area, bandstand, Portland Loo, vehicle/bicycle/dedicated law enforcement parking, pollinator and meditation gardens, and game table.
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Proposed landscaping: Native plants, woodchip ground cover, DG path and parking areas
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Point of Contact: imaginemopark@gmail.com
History of parcel: This parcel, located at 312 E. El Roblar Drive and HWY 33, a state designated scenic highway, consists of an abandoned carwash and derelict house (Figure 2). The remaining lot is undeveloped (Figure 3). The county purchased the property in the mid-1990’s for $1.43 million after being sued by the property owners who claimed their groundwater had been contaminated by County activity at the Ojai Maintenance Yard. The lawsuit was dropped and no wrong-doing was ever attributed to Ventura County. The property has been abandoned since the County took ownership (Wolcott, Holly J., May 11, 2004. It’s Out From Under Them. LA Times). The property is not listed as a polluter, brownfield, or superfund site by the county. Meiners Oaks Water District provides water service.
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Purpose and Need: Meiners Oaks, an unincorporated community on the west side of the Ojai Valley, includes a business district with hardware store, restaurants, bookstore, meat market, thrift shops, and health spas. Essential public services that contribute to community life include an elementary school, public library, and public transportation. Unfortunately, there are no public parks in this community and the single play area in Meiners Oaks, the elementary school, is securely fenced and closed when school is not in session.
Meiners Oaks has the highest population density (2,617 individuals per square mile) in the Ojai Valley. An important proxy measure for the number of children living in poverty is eligibility for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and those receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). At 67% and 45.7%, Meiners Oaks Elementary has the greatest percentage of students eligible for the NSLP and those receiving SNAP, compared with all other elementary schools in the Ojai Valley, including Sunset Elementary in Oak View (https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_detail.aspSearch=1&DistrictID=0640980&SchoolPageNum=2&ID=064098008669).
A second important factor used to describe a community’s socioeconomic need is access to health services. Meiners Oaks is second only to Saticoy in the number of adults without health insurance in Ventura County (2019, Ventura County Community Health Needs Assessment).
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Proposed Actions: Demolish the abandoned carwash and derelict house(DONE!). Construct a meandering path connecting a pedestrian park entry on El Roblar Drive to vehicle parking access from HWY 33. Park elements to be constructed along the path include parking for 10 bicycles and two dedicated law enforcement parking spaces on El Roblar Drive, Portland Loo restroom, pollinator and meditation gardens, two children’s natural play areas, game table, and bandstand. Benches and picnic tables will be placed throughout the property. Low water use native trees and shrubs will be planted in strategic locations to provide shade for park users and habitat for the Dulzura California pocket mouse (Perognathus californicus femoralis) and pollinators including the Monarch butterfly (https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp/species/4973; https://www.fws.gov/savethemonarch/; Figure 4).
Although this location is likely to contain archeological sites (Barbareno-Ventureno Mission Indians), the planned implementation does not include extensive digging or excavation. Decomposed granite will define path and parking spaces, wood chips will provide ground cover in well-used locations.