County supervisors agree to $1.3M price for flood-damaged home north of Ventura

Ventura County supervisors this week agreed to move forward with plans to potentially buy a flood-damaged home north of Ventura.

Storms over the past two winters have pummeled a creekside neighborhood near Foster Park, leading to repeated flooding. Plans call for clearing sediment and debris from Coyote Creek and rebuilding the channel to help prevent more problems. But to improve flows, the county also proposed buying the hard-hit property off Casitas Vista Road and tearing down the home and other structures on it.

Studies showed the demolition could have beneficial impacts to the overall channel project, Supervisor Matt LaVere said.

"I think it is important that this purchase be completed and this property be demolished for the overall health of that watershed and what we are trying to do there with the larger channel project," LaVere said, during a special meeting of the county Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.

The board voted 3-0 to sign off on an intent to purchase notice, an initial step needed to start the process. Supervisors Jeff Gorell and Janice Parvin were absent.

County officials expect a grant from the Natural Resources Conservation Service , part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, to pay much of the property's appraised value and demolition costs. If approved, the funding is expected to total close to $1.5 million.

An appraiser valued the property at $1,273,000 and a second firm validated the amount, county officials said Tuesday. But the property owners questioned why some factors were not considered and asked supervisors to consider an increase.

How much will the property owners receive?

When January storms drenched the area , floodwaters, sediment and debris ripped through the property that includes a section of the creek. The family left as the area was evacuated. Then, another round of storms this past winter made things worse.

Despite efforts to make repairs, they have not been able to move back because of the damage and high water levels. Among their concerns, they believe the property's value prior to the storms should have been considered. The severity of that damage was at least partly caused by the county, they said. County officials disagreed that was the case.

For the sale to move forward, the family had to release a claim against the county. On Tuesday, family members agreed to do so if the county signed off on paying $1.3 million. That was the amount the appraiser had estimated based on comparable properties prior to reducing the figure because of storm damage.

Supervisors signed off on the additional $27,000 for the intent to purchase document. The work on the property would benefit the entire area, board members said.

What is the timeline for the project?

Much of the neighborhood is considered at higher risk of flooding, according to maps from the Federal Emergency Management Agency . The property proposed for a buyout is located in the "floodway," an area FEMA says should be kept clear for floodwaters. The home pre-dates those maps.

The board met Tuesday partly because of a tight timeline for the project. Plans call for demolishing the structures and digging out the creek by the end of October, before the next rainy season, said Dave Fleisch, the county's assistant public works director.

But the process to purchase a property includes several weeks of public notices, he said. After that, supervisors likely will consider the purchase at a September meeting. If approved, the escrow process could start. If the NRCS grant is not approved, however, county staff would not return to the board next month.

The overall Coyote Creek project is expected to move forward with or without the buyout. Plans include clearing sediment along 3,300 feet of the creek, a section that runs through private property and county parkland. Crews would dig out a channel roughly 25-feet wide and 5-feet deep.

Cheri Carlson covers the environment and county government for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at cheri.carlson@vcstar.com or 805-437-0260 .

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: County supervisors agree to $1.3M price for flood-damaged home north of Ventura