German company KARLS proposes amusement park at Fisherman's Wharf in Oxnard

In the latest effort to revive a run-down venue at Channel Islands Harbor, a German company is proposing to build and operate a small amusement park at Fisherman's Wharf in Oxnard.

The company, which is called KARLS, wants to build the park with attractions such as children's rides, shops, cafes and demonstrations of jam and chocolate making. The theme would be tied to strawberries, the top-selling crop in Ventura County.

Dozens of attractions are shown in a conceptual rendering, including a floating bed and breakfast establishment, a climbable strawberry, a water slide, coin-operated go-carts and remote-control boats. The proposal is subject to change but the rendering gives a rough idea of what the park would look like, said Robert Dahl, owner of KARLS.

KARLS operates seven parks of this type in Germany but this would be the first one in the United States, he said.

"This looks like a perfect location," Dahl said of the 10-acre site on the waterfront at the corner of Victoria Avenue and Channel Islands Boulevard.

Harbor officials are asking the Ventura County Board of Supervisors to authorize exclusive negotiations with the privately held firm, possibly as early as December. But critics are heavily opposed, questioning the process that management followed to arrive at the decision, the use of valuable waterfront for the attraction and why the park was picked over two other options that drew more support in an online survey.

"We are not opposed to a strawberry theme park in Oxnard, just not on this waterfront tract of land, one of the crown jewels of Ventura County," said retiree Theodore Gerstl. The resident of nearby Mandalay Bay is working with a small committee of opponents to challenge the project.

Opponents are concerned over noise and traffic issues, "tackiness," the potential of increased crime, parking issues and incongruity with the harbor theme and nearby communities, he said.

But public officials overseeing the county-owned harbor support the project called Karls Adventure Village.

County officials say the park would provide affordable recreation for area residents and that there is nothing like it in the county. Furthermore, KARLS is not proposing any housing, which is expected to ease the approval process because it would be consistent with the city of Oxnard's zoning regulations for the area.

Harbor Director Michael Tripp is recommending that the Ventura County Board of Supervisors authorize the agreement for nine months. Under such agreements, developers can study the feasibility of their projects without fear that the county will strike a deal with another developer.

Tripp says he thinks the proposal could work at the spot where many ideas have foundered.

"It is an appropriate solution consistent with the land use," he said. "It is something we can get approved. It is still retail and restaurants, but it has one company running the whole thing, and it has a unifying theme that makes it different from a strip mall you could have somewhere else."

Tripp made the pick a couple months after inviting the public to hear three developers' presentations and inviting comment in an online survey. He chose the amusement park over two other ideas:

• Developer John Ashkar proposed building a year-round fish market and farmers market along with a boutique hotel focused on weddings and conferences and an amphitheater. Dining, entertainment and shopping areas would also be provided. The proposal called for residential units that would flow into the commercial space to help make the project financially viable but did not state an exact number.

• Alberto Valner and Arturo Litwak proposed a "lifestyle retail center" anchored by a specialty grocery store, which Tripp likened to a Trader Joe's or a Whole Foods Market. The development would encompass an amphitheater overlooking the marina, a playground, a dock, restaurants and shops. Residential units are listed as an option.

County Executive Officer Sevet Johnson said the project could go to the board in December or January. She sees it as affordable, feasible and different from what already exists in the area with a heavy presence of retail establishments.

"What is something that could actually come to fruition, that could be unique, that could bring people there," she said.

Dahl said he would not charge an entrance fee although tickets are purchased for rides. Most of the revenues would come from the sale of retail goods and food and beverages, with about 10% from ticket sales, he said.

In a written proposal, KARLS envisioned that the park would be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily and could attract up to 1 million visitors a year.

The dispute over what should be built there and could succeed comes amid an effort to build consensus following the defeat of a project with 400 apartments and 36,000 square feet of commercial space.

The county hired a consultant to help develop a vision for the harbor in collaboration with various homeowner, business and government interests. The result was published in a report last year that listed ideas for Fisherman's Wharf such as a National Park Service center, a public market and a performing arts center. There is no mention of an amusement park.

Then this year the county issued a request for development proposals, followed by a public presentation by the three developers who made the cut. They presented their proposals in September at a meeting attended by more than 200 people, followed by an online public opinion survey on what residents thought of the ideas. Respondents showed little support for the amusement park and mixed views for the other two projects. Many respondents opposed apartments, which Dahl has promised not to build.

Gerstl said he's wondering now if it was all a charade.

"It is not unreasonable for those of us who participated in this exercise to conclude that this involvement was a farce, a fake, an attempt to make us feel as though we really were involved and part of the decision-making," he said.

Tripp said he believes Dahl's proposal is consistent with the harbor vision report because of the emphasis on retail and restaurants. His recommendation was based not only on the public's views, but the vision report, his staff's recommendations and the views of a broad-based advisory committee that evaluates projects, he said.

Harbor officials also considered what could be approved in a reasonable period of time to make the recommendation, he said.

The board has the final say over the agreement and any subsequent lease of the county-owned land at the site, while the city of Oxnard would issue the required building permits. The California Coastal Commission would also have to approve the change in use of the site, Tripp said.

Troubled history

Located at a gateway to the harbor, Fisherman's Wharf offers a complex of Cape Cod-style buildings painted in fading pastels and dating from the 1970s. About half of the units are vacant. Developers have disagreed about whether the buildings are beyond repair or can be reused, as Dahl hopes to do with some of them.

Former harbor management traced the decline to 1996, when Oxnard real estate magnate Martin V. "Bud" Smith sold all his harbor properties, including apartments, the wharf and a hotel. The subsequent owner did not invest in the property, officials said.

Public officials, merchants and customers have blamed a variety of factors for the decline, including poor management, lack of investment and an economy that stymied development after the recession. Previous developers have proposed building hundreds of apartments along with shops and restaurants, but they failed in the face of opposition from residents and city officials.

The latest defeat came two years ago when the California Coastal Commission refused to override the city of Oxnard's denial of land-use changes that would allow up to 400 apartments to be built along with the redevelopment of the retail and restaurant space. Apartments are still a stumbling block because Oxnard's plan for use of the coast does not allow them in this location, Tripp said.

Fisherman's Wharf is still an appealing spot along the coast with loyal followers and customers.

Retired defense worker Victor Hernandez said he stops three times a week for donuts and coffee at Spudnuts, which offers the "best maple bar in town." The Army veteran gathers with a few other military veterans and cleans his car in the nearly empty parking lot.

He hadn't heard much about the amusement park but said something needs to be done.

"It needs to be something people come back to and is long term," he said.

Hair stylist Araceli Ayala favors remodeling the whole complex and is against turning it into an amusement park. "Of all the proposals, I think it's the worst one," she said as she worked on a customer's hair in a salon at the wharf.

Families might come at first but then the novelty would wear off at the spot far from the freeway, she said.

She remembers a better time.

"In the 1980s, this place used to be so nice," she said. "I remember bringing my family, my kids."

Dahl said families would return, just like they do in Germany. Some come 30 times a year to the Karl's village where their children can play free of charge on the playgrounds, he said.

"In Berlin, people love to visit Karl's just to have a fresh piece of cake and coffee," he said.

Kathleen Wilson covers the Ventura County government, including the county health system, politics and social services. Reach her at kathleen.wilson@vcstar.com or 805-437-0271.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Would an amusement park work at Fisherman's Wharf in Oxnard?