Conservationists and developers continue to argue over how much of the beach area south of Oxnard should be restored as part of Southern California's largest wetlands.

At issue is whether the Ormond Beach wetlands restoration project should include 750 or 1,500 acres.

The disagreement over the scope of the restoration project will play out over the next few weeks as comments are submitted for a revised environmental impact report on proposed housing and business projects on agricultural land totaling nearly 700 acres.

The issue will eventually be resolved by the Oxnard City Council, which could approve, reduce in size or deny the proposed development projects.

"It's the last best place in Oxnard," said Alan Sanders, Ventura conservation chairman for Los Padres Chapter of the Sierra Club.

The city has a legitimate interest in having some residential and industrial development, Sanders said, "but this does not need to happen in Ormond Beach."

Ormond Beach, according to the California Coastal Conservancy, is the most important wetlands restoration opportunity in Southern California.

Once the site of a lagoon and surrounding wetlands totaling 1,000 acres, Ormond Beach has 250 acres of the original wetlands left. They are home to 200 species of migratory birds, including six threatened or endangered species.

When integrated with 900 acres of county-owned wetlands to the south and the 1,500 acres of Mugu Lagoon, the Ormond Beach wetlands could become part of the largest coastal wetlands in Southern California, stretching along 9 miles of the coast from Point Hueneme to Point Mugu.

What Sanders and others envision is a 1,500-acre restoration project that would include wetlands, uplands and agricultural buffers.

But there is disagreement about the size of the project.

It does not need more than 750 acres, said Jurgen Gramckow, owner of Southland Sod Farms.

He is proposing to build a business and light industrial park on 375 acres of his land and make the 220 acres closest to the ocean available to be purchased for conservation.

About 508 acres along the Ormond Beach coast already have been set aside for the restoration project.

Sanders, however, said 750 acres is not enough. Wetlands need agricultural buffers because human activities disturb birds and other wildlife, he said.

And development proponents are not taking into account the likelihood of a rise in sea level because of global warming, he said.

Such a rise could wipe out the wetlands and have waves lapping the sea walls that would likely be built to protect the proposed developments, Sanders said.

Peter Brand, a senior project manager with the California Coastal Conservancy, said that given what we now know about sea level rise, "we certainly need more than 750 acres."

Given the currently weak economy, there is no urgent need to build the proposed business park, he said.

The Coastal Conservancy, a state agency, is partnering with the Nature Conservancy, a nonprofit, on the restoration project.

It will take a couple of years to complete the plans for the restoration, and millions still need to be raised, he said.

Gramckow said his project would "serve the economic needs of the city in terms of providing better jobs and growth for the residents."

A second proposed development on 322 acres north of the Gramckow parcel would create up to 1,283 dwellings, schools, a commercial center, a light industrial area, a lake, open space and trails.

"We believe this project is an engine that is going to drive the revitalization of south Oxnard," said Ed Mountford, senior vice president of Hearthside Homes.

"Bringing new homes and new jobs to that area will give it an economic shot in the arm," he said.

A revised environmental impact report for both the Gramckow business park and the Hearthside Homes project has been issued by the city of Oxnard, with a comment period set to end Sept. 8.

The report is available online at http://www.ci.oxnard.ca.us. Click on Development Services, then Planning and Environmental Documents. The report also can be viewed at the city's Planning Division office and the public library.

A public hearing on both projects before the Planning Commission is tentatively set for Aug. 21.

Comments should be submitted in writing to Kathleen Mallory, City of Oxnard Planning Division, 214 South C. St., Oxnard, CA 93030; e-mailed to kathleenmallory@ci.oxnard.ca.us; or faxed to 385-7417.