Farmhouse vs. Developer in Camarillo

A pair of conservation groups have moved to save the 120-year-old Scholle farmhouse in Camarillo that is slated to be razed for the final element of a mixed-use project currently in development, according to a Camarillo Acorn report. The farmhouse property, located near Springville Road and West Ponderosa Drive along the north side of the 101 Freeway, has been earmarked for sale as part of the final phase of the Springville housing development – a project with roots that go back to 2013. The farmland is scheduled to be redeveloped into 158 single-family homes as the capping component of C&C Development Co.’s larger 1,350-unit community. Ventura County groups San Buenaventura Conservancy and Pleasant Valley Historical Society believe the farmhouse, boarded up for more than a decade, has a historic link to the area’s agricultural history. According to San Buenaventura’s president, Stephen Schafer, there is a lot of support online to save the structure. Schafer and Pleasant Valley Historical Society Immediate Past President Joy Todd, who have been keeping an eye on the farmhouse since 2003, have approached the city of Camarillo regarding the fate of the farmhouse. They were successful in landing an extension on the public comments of the environmental report through Aug. 10. The environmental review process required a historic resource assessment of the Shoelle farmhouse. The November 2019 report, drafted by Pamela Daly of Riverside-based Daly & Associates, found that while the property itself was not eligible to be registered as historic, the house is. As a result, the farmhouse now cannot be demolished by the developer without approval from Camarillo City Council. The housing development, which will require an amendment to the city’s general plan to be granted a zoning change, must now go before the city’s planning commission prior to going before City Council. Dennis Hardgrove of Development Planning Services, a consulting firm hired by the developer on the project, said that it will be unlikely that the Scholle farmhouse will remain in its current place. The structure may have to be transported elsewhere on the property or to nearby land or perhaps might become repurposed as a coffee shop or some other usage. According to the environmental report, the developer will be responsible for relocating and restoring the building. Discussions are currently underway in Camarillo by representatives of all sides of the issue to find a way forward before the final phase of the Springville housing project begins.