Big step forward for the Harbor

Last night, the City Council unanimously approved a project that demonstrates the exciting positive changes under the 2005 General Plan.

The Ventura Port District owns 27 acres of vacant land in the heart of the harbor area. Seven years ago, they chose Sondermann-Ring to develop 300 units of new apartment housing, along with 20,000 square foot of commercial space and 104 new boating slips.

The developer spent years negotiating with the Port District and the surrounding commercial and residential neighbors to win their support for a design that was finally submitted to the City back in 2004. But while acceptable to the Harbor stakeholders, it didn't reflect the new higher quality of design standards the City was seeking. The project consisted of three gated enclaves, with 10 massive, identical buildings. The only public access to this prime coastal area was a single driveway serving the apartment complex.

To find consensus, the developer and the City agreed to split the cost of a "design charette" to look at ways to improve coast access and turn the apartment complex into a "coastal village."

The redesign regrouped the project into 5 blocks each lined with sidewalks and wide parkways with street trees. Instead of a single building form repeated 10 times, there were now 22 different buildings and some of the apartments were mixed into the commercial part of the project, creating a new neighborhood gathering place at the core. The parking structures for the boat slips were lined with rowhouse apartments.

The new design reflects the General Plan's vision of raising standards for new development. Not only will the project inject new life and resources into Ventura's Harbor area, but it will also provide attractive and much needed "workforce housing." The project also includes "affordable housing" with 15 units set aside for moderate income families and 12 for low-income families. In addition, the project will add a 2.5 acre seaside park and a pedestrian promenade along the waterfront.

Finally, the City negotiated a $3.25 million contribution toward building a new Fire Station to improve emergency response times south of the 101 Freeway.

For a closer look at the BEFORE and AFTER changes in project design, click on:

http://www.cityofventura.net/srp