Workshop to Help Design Sports Park

VENTURA —  A planning and concept design workshop will be held Saturday for the proposed Ventura Regional Sports Park.

The session will be held from 8 a.m. to noon at Barranca Vista Recreation Center at 7050 Ralston St.

The purpose is to provide information regarding the proposed park and solicit ideas about the types of facilities envisioned, said Sunday DiZazzo, a spokeswoman for the Community Services Department.

In June, the Ventura City Council approved $8.5 million for the project as part of the city’s annual capital improvement spending.

The workshop will begin with an introduction of the Laguna Nigel-based RJM Design Group, which has been chosen as the park’s planning and conceptual design firm. A visit to the proposed park site will follow, and the remainder of the workshop will focus on design issues.

The city is negotiating the purchase of the 100-acre parcel owned by a private commercial real estate investment group.

The land is south of the Santa Paula Freeway, west of Kimball Road and north of Telephone Road. City officials hope to acquire the land within six months.

After the community meeting, officials will prepare the language for a ballot initiative in June to allow voters to decide whether the development of the agricultural land, which is protected by the open-space and agricultural resource boundaries, is warranted.