Demolition of the vacant Casa Sirena Hotel at the Channel Islands Harbor will begin next week, the Ventura County Harbor Department announced today.

Harbor Department Director Michael Tripp said that preparation for the demolition – removing hazards, communicating with nearby Harbor residents, connecting homeless individuals with services, and other mitigation measures – has been underway for about a month.

“I would like to thank the City of Oxnard, County of Ventura agencies, and the non-profit organizations who partnered to connect homeless individuals who were near the demolition site with much needed services,” Director Tripp said. “This was an important step in moving the demolition process forward.”

This week, a chain link fence was placed around the perimeter of the hotel property. Demolition efforts will take an estimated six months from start to finish.

“This is great news for the Harbor and I’m glad a new chapter is being written for this location,” Director Tripp said. “I’m confident the demolition and development of a new hotel will reinvigorate the Harbor along with residents, visitors, and local businesses.”

The demolition of the Casa Sirena, led by Brighton Management, a recognized leader in the hotel industry, will be the first step in a multi-year construction process to revamp the entire south end of the Harbor’s peninsula. After the Casa Sirena is demolished, the Harbor Department will repair the riprap surrounding the south end of the peninsula.

The original Casa Sirena hotel, constructed in 1972, had 197 rooms with additional space for meetings. The proposed development of the site will include a new Hyatt House Hotel and a restaurant of up to 5,000 square feet, similar to, but not smaller than, the former Lobster Trap Restaurant which was located nearby. The proposed Hyatt House will feature 210 rooms in a 55-foot structure and occupy approximately 203,000 square feet along the Channel Islands Harbor waterfront.

Editor's Note: this story was published on Dec. 23, 2021.