Santa Clara River Trail Final Master Plan - Development Services ...

Chapter 2: Gap Analysis, Geographic Impediments and Alternatives Analysis
Accessways provide short connections from trails to important destinations such as schools,
parks, transit centers and mixed-use centers (Figure 3).
Geographic Impediments
This section discusses the geographic impediments affecting the Santa Clara River Trail. As the project
title suggests, the Santa Clara River Trail is intended to be a trail adjacent to the Santa Clara River. For
this reach of the SCRT adjacent to/within the City of Oxnard, the Santa Clara River Enhancement and
Management Plan (SCREMP) suggested joint use facilities located on the top of the network of existing
levees and stream bank protection on the south side of the Santa Clara River. Larger regional goals
include connecting a network of trails along the Santa Clara River from the San Gabriel Mountains to the
Pacific Ocean.
This project evaluates the trail segments within/adjacent to the City of Oxnard and provides a feasible
connection to the Pacific Ocean. There are primarily two major gaps in this project, the gap between the
Pacific Ocean and the north-western city limits of Oxnard (N. Victoria Ave.) and the gap in the levee
system south-west of the UPRR Bridge along N. Ventura Road.
The property between the Pacific Ocean and the first potential segment of the SCRT is located outside
the City of Oxnard, privately owned, and is not currently for sale. This important connection is over a
mile in length and therefore considered a corridor gap in the SCRT project. Until the property owner is
ready to consider selling/leasing the right-of-way needed for the trail an alternate route will be evaluated.
The levee system adjacent to the Santa Clara River is an important asset to the overall trail system
because it allows for trail development with minimal disturbance to the river and the associated riparian
habitat. The gap in the levee affects the entire segment along N. Ventura Road and is therefore considered
a lineal gap. This area is being evaluated by the Ventura County Watershed Protection District
(VCWPD) as part of the SCR-3 Levee System Public Safety Project. The VCWPD in conjunction with
the City of Oxnard will be determining the final design of this segment, and staff for both agencies are
well aware of the trail project and working to incorporate the trail design guidelines into the levee
improvements.
The following map shows the primary gaps for the Santa Clara River Trail.
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