A local land trust now owns the old Petrochem site near Ventura, with plans to preserve more than 100 acres off Crooked Palm Road in perpetuity.
The national nonprofit Trust for Public Land negotiated a $7 million deal to acquire the property, once an ammonia plant and later an oil and gas refinery. The site was then transferred to the Ventura Land Trust in late December.
Along with the popular Harmon Canyon in Ventura, the local land trust manages other preserves along the river, including Big Rock and Willoughby. The Crooked Palm location sits just west of Highway 33 and south of Foster Park, with a mile of riverfront property…