by City Staff

The City of Ventura Community Development Department is working hard to create a thriving, prosperous community. This year we will see the completion of many major projects such as the new Kaiser Permanente medical office building on Market and Valentine Streets, and the new Volkswagen dealership at Perkin Avenue and King Drive.  We are also looking forward to the construction and completion of new residential projects, which continue to make a comeback after the downfall in the economy.

Housing is a vital part of the way communities grow and is key to the social and economic sustainability of the City. With Ventura being a desirable place to live, the demand for housing has increased and providing a range of dwelling types is important to meet the different needs of our residents. With everything Ventura has to offer, it’s no wonder private economic investments are being made here.  Upcoming home and mixed-use developments will provide a broad array of housing choices from the Westside to Downtown, and from the Harbor to the Eastside.

On the Westside, the Solana Heights project at Ventura Avenue and School Canyon Road brings 114 new 3-5 bedroom single-family homes, 33 new townhomes with 3-4 bedrooms, plus three new  parks with picnic tables, barbeques and children’s play equipment. The home designs and proximity to schools (E.P. Foster Elementary, nd DeAnza Academy of Technology and Arts and Ventura Charter School) make the location family-friendly and a welcome addition to Ventura’s oldest neighborhood.

Downtown, the Mar-Y-Cel mixed-use project, on 2.3 acres bordered by Ventura Avenue, Santa Clara Street, Junipero Street and Thompson Blvd., features 138 apartments, a 5-level parking structure and more than 6,000 square feet of commercial space. Residents of this new innovative downtown community will help spur retail development and contribute to an already active environment.

In December 2016, hundreds of community members and dignitaries celebrated the groundbreaking of Portside Ventura Harbor, the first new major development at Ventura Harbor in three decades.  Construction is underway for the mixed-use, waterfront location with 300 residential housing units including 270 apartments and 30 live/work spaces, 21,300 square-feet of commercial and retail space, a new recreational marina with 104 boat slips, a water taxi stop (connecting Portside Ventura Harbor with Harbor Village), two-acre public waterfront park, public-access waterfront promenade, public dock for personal watercraft such as kayaks and paddle boards, and plenty of coastal parking.

On Ventura’s Eastside, the former UC Hansen Trust property, now called The Farm, is located at the southeast corner of Telegraph Road and Saticoy Avenue and consists of 35.7 acres of undeveloped land nestled into a scenic setting of farmland, foothills and established residential neighborhoods. The property has an approved specific plan, tentative tract map, and development agreement allowing for 131 single family detached Ventura homes on 4,000 – 8,795 square foot lots, 3 building pads for 34 attached row house/townhouses, 6 acres of public parks and open space areas, and two building pads for 20-24 farm worker housing units. Williams Homes intends on building the entire project with exception of the farm worker housing which will be designed and developed by the City of San Buenaventura Housing Authority.

These exciting new residential projects provide citizens with options such as home ownership, apartments, townhomes and row homes.  Through careful stewardship and good plans, the Community Development Department is promoting a strong and viable community that is sustainable, compatible and beneficial to the community.

Officer Hrynyk with K9 Jag and Officer Therrien with K9 Yoschi will be at the Chillin Event.

The Ventura Police Department, Ventura Police Community Foundation and McConnell’s Fine Ice Cream invite the community to come “Chill with VPD”. The second annual community event will be held on Saturday, January 21, 12:00-3:00 p.m. in the south west parking lot of the Pacific View Mall nearest to McConnell’s.

Community members will have the opportunity to view a K9 demonstration, SWAT, Motors, Patrol, CSI and more. At this free event, Visitors will be given a “VPD Passport”, and after they fill their passport with stamps from Officers they will be able to submit it for an ice cream. The Community is invited to come out to get to know their Ventura Police Officers and K-9’s!

In March of 2016, officer Trevor Hrynyk was selected as VPD’s next K-9 handler and  was paired up with “Jag” – formerly known as Bronko von Schiffilache. Officer Hrynyk and “Jag” completed a rigorous 5-week patrol school at the Inglis Police Dog Academy in February 2016 and have been patrolling the streets of Ventura since.

Officer Hrynyk and Jag, along with the entire K9 Unit, dedicate one day per each week to dog training. Training includes obedience, apprehension, searching and location of narcotics. A K9 team spends approximately 30% of their time training.

Officer Keith Therrien is partnered with Yoschi Vom Haus Vortkamp – aka Yoschi. Officer Therrien and Yoschi were partnered together in May of 2016, having also attended the Inglis Police Dog Academy. Yoschi was trained in basic obedience, tracking, and apprehension. Yoschi was purchased through donations made by Ventura Baptist Church.

Officer Therrien is a veteran of the U.S Army where he deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

Should second units be allowed in the Lanes?

By a 7-0 vote, the Ventura City Council approved interim standards for second dwelling units (Accessory dwelling unit ADU). This was necessary because of new California State laws to help alleviate some pressure on the housing shortage.

To help the state’s housing crisis it will be easier for California homeowners to construct additional units on their properties, whether in their garages or as freestanding second structures.” The law became effective on Jan.1, and cities throughout California are working  on how to deal with it.

Per the state, the process is now ministerial meaning it doesn’t need approval by any planning body. It just needs to meet all the rules of the State ordinance. The new law loosened restrictions on adding second units in an effort to increase the housing stock and help ease the affordable-housing crisis.

There is much concern by city council members and the public as to how this will impact Ventura -both positively and negatively.

The new law significantly reduced parking requirements. Spaces are not required if the unit is within a half-mile from public transit. Because of the shape of Ventura, the majority of Ventura is within a half-mile of mass transit which means a parking space can’t be required for the additional unit.

Ventura’s temporary ordinance restricts the size of a unit to 750 square feet (the state allows 1,250 square feet) and includes other conditions not in compliance with the State. Local ordinances that are not aligned with state laws will need to be approved by the state to make sure that they meet the intent of the law.

As Councilmember Christy Weir stated, “The state prioritized quantity over quality in its effort to develop more housing. What the state has done has taken away a lot of our local control.”

The interim rules will be in place until staff has time to develop a permanent ordinance. The urgency ordinance will last 45 days. The council can then vote to extend the ordinance for 10 months and 15 days (an odd amount allowed by law) to give the city staff more time to prepare a permanent ordinance.

Staff members said they will visit neighborhood groups and other stakeholders and talk to officials in other cities to get input on what the ordinance should include. If the council did not pass the interim rules, the state’s laws become the law for the city and the city would be required to approve any new ADU that meets the new minimal state criteria.

The city council imposed a requirement that the property owner live on site – which is not required in the state law. This is partly in response to issues over short-term vacation rentals and to avoid turning the properties into investments for off-site owners, some of whom do not maintain the residences which has  been of great concern, especially from owners of homes in the Pierpont area lanes.

The California Department of Housing and Community Development has prepared a 35-page document to help answer some of the questions regarding the law. If you’d like to read it, visit their website and search for “Accessory Dwelling Unit Memorandum”.

Residents and property owners are invited to attend the second public meeting discussing short-term vacation rentals on Tuesday, January 31, from 6-8pm at the Poinsettia Pavilion. This meeting is a follow-up to the December 13, 2016 community meeting where attendees provided feedback on issues, benefits and potential solutions surrounding short-term vacation rentals.

At the meeting, staff will review the feedback collected at the first meeting and complete the work by identifying the most critical issues surrounding short-term vacation rentals within the city of Ventura. They will then develop a comprehensive list of potential solutions for those issues. Participants are encouraged to review the input from the December 13, 2016 meeting on the City’s website at www.cityofventura.net/ft/stvr.

A small stakeholder group will also be formed to conduct in-depth analysis and research potential solutions to short-term vacation rental issues. The stakeholder group will utilize the feedback from the community and make recommendations to staff for any suggested changes to the current policies.

by Shana Epstein, Ventura Water General Manager

So far this winter, the rain and snow have really helped northern and central California, but Santa Barbara County and Ventura County have not experienced the down pour, which many of us have been hoping to receive.  An easy indicator to see how much the rain affected our water supply is to check out the Lake Casitas levels on Casitas Municipal Water District’s website (www.casitaswater.org and click “Lake Level”).  Currently, Lake Casitas is at 35.3%.  As we experience the rain, keep your irrigation systems off to conserve  our supply  for the hotter, dryer weather later this year.

Ventura Water customers continue to amaze with their steadfast commitment to conservation.  In 2016, they conserved more than 20% when compared to their usage in 2013 before calls for conservation.

For those of you still looking for ways to conserve, the City of Ventura offers free water surveys, waterwise incentives for turf removal, weather based irrigation controllers and free sprinkler nozzles as well as rebates for rain barrels (we’re happy to have rain to collect this winter!)    In addition, if you would like to utilize recycled water, Ventura Water offers a residential recycled water mobile reuse program.  Visit www.venturawater.net to get access to any of these programs.