Beachfront paradise Ventura, California, goes to war with visitors as ... trends now
Millionaire California homeowners are attempting to ban hikers from using a hillside near their property - two years after they helped save the green space from property developers by claiming they wanted to keep it for public use.
A residents' group in the affluent city of Ventura has expressed concerns over plans to set up formal trails in the stunning Mariano Rancho Preserve.
The trails - which are currently traversed by 'trespassing' hikers - would create formal pathways on the stunning hillsides overlooking Ventura and the Pacific Ocean.
Neighbors for the Ventura Hillside say allowing the public access under the plans would be, 'surprisingly and unnecessarily intrusive to residents', SF Gate reports.
The group was formed in 2015 and successfully killed plans for 55 homes on the site by insisting the land should be preserved for 'public hiking.'
However, tensions have begun to flare up again after the current landowner, a conservation non-profit, unveiled plans to formalize the trail network and introduce car parking by 2025.
A residents' group in the affluent city of Ventura has expressed concerns over walkers looking to set up formal trails in the stunning Mariano Rancho Preserve (pictured)
Neighbors for the Ventura Hillside, which opposes the plans, previously campaigned to stop development on the land in 2015 arguing it should be for public use
A diagram showing the proposed trails per the Neighbors for the Ventura Hillside group
Ventura Land Trust bought the hillside in 2020 with plans to preserve the green space.
At the time, Neighbors for the Ventura Hillside hailed the acquisition as 'very good news' for its conservation.
Developers have been circling the verdant, 1,600 acre stretch since 2002 and the group was anxious to prevent any homes being built.
In 2022, the trust received $7.2 million from the state to make the purchase and to prepare the hillside for public use.
But now Neighbors for the Ventura Hillside have expressed resistance to the proposals, despite the fact the area has been popular with hikers for decades.
'As only a smattering of news has emerged regarding the trails, NVH has been inundated with questions about the future of this preserve and its potential impacts to the City of Ventura and its residents,' a post on their Facebook page states.
Concerns include estimates of up to 1,600 visitors descending every day. However, this has now been revised to 274 hikers per day per an estimate by Ventura Land Trust.
The post also highlights that parts of the trail could be within 150ft of homes, stating by comparison trails at nearby Harmon Canyon are within 650ft.
'VLT plans to build fencing along
