Board affirms Camp Ramah permit with noise conditions, requires neighbor meet‑and‑confer

The Ventura County Board of Supervisors on Sept. 30 denied an appeal and approved a major modification to Camp Ramah’s conditional use permit, including tree removals, a variance for historic summer occupancy, and construction of a new cabin village, subject to a suite of noise mitigation measures and a new review process requiring a one‑year neighbor meeting and 10‑year reviews.

The project: Camp Ramah sought to incorporate roughly 348 acres of adjacent open‑space parcels into its campus boundary, legalize several accessory structures, construct “Mahone Village” (six cabins and a multipurpose building), and obtain a variance allowing the camp to continue historic summer overnight levels higher than current code limits. The Planning Commission approved the modification in May 2025; neighbors appealed citing persistent noise, the number and timing of events, and the permit’s potential unlimited term.

Environmental and mitigation: Planning staff circulated a mitigated negative declaration during the environmental review process; staff and the applicant agreed to multiple mitigation measures addressing biological resources, trees, cultural resources and noise. Noise measures adopted as conditions include requiring the camp to supply and control the outdoor sound system (no outside vendor systems), orient speakers away from neighbors, install 10‑foot acoustic blankets at specific locations, and require testing and verification by a qualified noise consultant at three off‑site neighbor locations before inaugural use.

Dispute over noise and term: Neighbors testified they have endured amplified sound, late‑night events and lights for decades and requested stricter limits (including a daytime 50 dBA cap and limits on annual event days). Camp representatives and many supporters — including organizations that use the site for educational and youth programs — argued the improvements and conditions reduce overall noise versus the status quo, and that the camp’s mission and long‑term philanthropic investment warrant preserving an indefinite CUP term.

Board action and new condition: After public testimony from neighbors and dozens of supporters, supervisors voted to deny the appeal and approve the CUP modification. The board added a condition, agreed to by the applicant, that requires the camp to initiate a meeting with neighbors one year after issuance of the inaugural use/occupancy clearance and every 10 years thereafter to review complaints and compliance with the noise conditions. If the camp and neighbors agree on adjustments, the permittee may seek a planning‑director–approved permit modification to implement those changes without returning to the commission or board. The modification also requires the noise attenuation system verification and ongoing monitoring.

Why it matters: The decision balances long‑standing resident complaints about noise and night events with the camp’s operational needs and long history in the Ojai Valley. The new meet‑and‑confer and verification steps create a formal pathway for periodic review and incremental adjustment short of reopening the full permit, while the mitigation package commits the camp to technical noise controls and more stringent operational measures than those in its historic CUP.

Vote: Motion to approve staff recommendations and deny the appeal, with the added neighbor review condition; moved by Supervisor LaVere, seconded by Supervisor Long. Outcome: unanimous approval.

What to watch next: Implementation of the sound‑limiting system, the first year meet‑and‑confer, and the three‑year condition compliance reviews noted in the CUP. Planning staff and the camp will coordinate verification testing and reporting as required in the conditions of approval.