AOV E-Newsletter Jan. 4, 2008
In this issue:
- Keeping Clean: New Street Sweeping Schedule Online
- Community Development: Joint City Council / Planning Commission Workshop to Discuss Victoria Avenue Corridor Plan on Jan. 14
- Slowing economy means budget shortfall
- Back to School: Free and Fun Municipal Art Collection Tours
- City Manager's Blog: Reflections on 2007
Keeping Clean: New Street Sweeping Schedule Online
Starting January 1, residential City streets in Ventura will be swept once a month on the day after trash collection in most Ventura neighborhoods. Designed to make it easier for residents to remember which day to move cars and motor homes off the street, the new schedule will follow the same trash collection routes used by E.J. Harrison & Sons. Visit the City's website to find your new sweeping day or call 805-652-4515 to request information.
Residents are encouraged to move vehicles by 7 a.m. on their neighborhood street sweeping day so that sweepers can pick up more trash and debris along the curb. Regular street cleaning keeps such debris as leaves, pet wastes and sediments from entering storm drains. As Ventura's storm drains flow directly to the ocean, reducing this type of pollution is beneficial to the beaches, public health and the marine environment. Cleaner storm drains also flood less, preventing property damage during storms.
Community Development: Joint City Council / Planning Commission Workshop to Discuss Victoria Avenue Corridor Plan on Jan. 14
Joint City Council-Planning Commission Workshop
Day: Monday 14-January-2008
Time: 7 p.m.
Place: City Hall Council Chambers, 501 Poli Street
Victoria Avenue Corridor Plan
Final Draft - January 2008
In 2006, the City of Ventura initiated the Victoria Avenue Corridor Plan to implement the 2005 General Plan vision to transform the area from a traffic-dominated arterial to one that has a greater mix of pedestrian-oriented uses in order to attract high-value, high quality office and retail jobs. Since the January 2007 release of the "working" draft Plan, the City Council directed staff to focus on transforming Victoria Avenue into a business and retail corridor, conduct a market study to evaluate the feasibility of such development, and to abandon a streetscape proposal that would have converted the outside traffic lanes to local traffic-serving access lanes.
On January 14, the City Council and Planning Commission will review the Final Draft Corridor Plan as well as the recently completed Market Study and provide staff with direction for moving forward with Environmental Review and completion of the final Plan and Code. In the meantime, to ensure that new or intensified development complies with the objectives of the General Plan, the City Council will also consider extending the current Urgency Ordinance (Ord. No. 2007-010) requiring the approval of use permits for development 50,000 square feet or greater for an additional 12 months.
Joint City Council-Planning Commission Workshop
Monday, January 14 at 7 PM
City Hall - City Hall Council Chambers
501 Poli Street, Ventura
Review the revised Plan and Code at:
- Online: www.cityofventura.net/victoria
- City Hall, City Clerk - Rm 204, 501 Poli St
- City Hall, Planning - Rm 117, 501 Poli St (CD-ROM versions available)
For more information, contact Project Manager Lilly Okamura at (805) 658-4720 or lokamura@cityofventura.net, or visit us online at www.cityofventura.net
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact the staff at 654-7893 or the California Relay Service. Notification 48 hours in advance of meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to this meeting.
Written and/or oral comments may be presented at the public hearing or be submitted to the Planning Division prior to the Public Hearing at 501 Poli Street, Room 117, Ventura, CA 93001.
Pursuant to the California Govt. Code, please take notice as follows: If you challenge the action in this notice in court, you may be limited to raising issues you or someone else raised at the Public Hearing or in written correspondence delivered to the City of Ventura at, or prior to, the public hearing.
Slowing economy means budget shortfall ahead
The drop in home prices and residential construction is impacting Ventura's tax revenue. Based on first quarter projections, sales tax for the current fiscal year is projected to fall short by approximately $2 million, primarily due to the drop in sales of construction materials and new home furnishings. This trend is being felt throughout California and the State budget gap is projected to be proportionately far worse.
In preparing this year's budget with property tax revenues rising, the City Council was able to fund adding six police officers and a three-person fire crew. Now with revenues falling, the City has three options: reduce, eliminate or restructure low-priority services and expenses; generate additional revenue; or postpone planned improvements in public safety, fixing streets and other infrastructure, park maintenance and competitive compensation for city staff.
Back to School: Free and Fun Municipal Art Collection Tours
Are you a MAC or PAC genius? Local school students, teachers and service organization members who take advantage of free educational tours offered by the Ventura Public Art Program are testing their powers of observation and their "eye for art" during fun and informative hour-long visits to City Hall broken into three 20-minute segments: exploring the paintings, sculpture and other media of Municipal Art Collection (or MAC); learning about the history and unique architectural features of the former County Courthouse; and viewing an innovative virtual tour (a PowerPoint slideshow) of the extensive Public Art Collection (PAC) on display outdoors throughout the city.
For more information and to schedule a tour please contact Lisa Zaid, Public Art Project Manager, at 805-658-4736 or lzaid@cityofventura.net.
City Manager's Blog: Reflections on 2007
City Manager Rick Cole gives immediate insight into breaking news. His latest post reflects on 2007 and the accomplishments the past year held.
"As we reflect on the year now drawing to a close, what can we look back on?
Last January, the Council confronted a daunting schedule of controversial development issues: the downzoning and draft code for Thompson and Main; a final vote on the 300 apartment unit "Sondermann-Ring" project in the Harbor; a new draft code for the Victoria Corridor; and a final vote on the 120 unit Citrus Place project on the city's eastern edge. All brought forth passionate public comments - yet in each case, a majority of the speakers supported moving forward with smart growth.
We continued progress for the rest of the year as the first Class A office building in a generation broke ground Downtown; a Target store was approved for the Mall; the WAV project won State tax credits; we re-purchased the parking structure next to the refurbished Crowne Plaza; and adopted the final Thompson and Main code as the year ended.
There were other highlights: the reopening of the Olivas Links golf course; the dedication of the Water Treatment Plant improvements; groundbreaking for the State Veterans' Home; completion of Povar Plaza across from the Pier; and the occupation of three floors of 505 Poli by City staff.
The City Council had a productive year: adopting regulations of short-term rentals; resolving the employee medical retirement issue; approving the Countywide 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness and allocating $100,000 to pilot programs; tackling the beach sand management controversy; approving the Jobs and Investment Fund partnership and a new high-tech business incubator; and hiring an outstanding new City Attorney.
Ventura focused on thinking globally and acting locally. A comprehensive inventory was done on how well we measure up against our own General Plan goals as well as best practices nationally and internationally. We partnered on a great Earth Day celebration at Mission Park and the City Council unanimously endorsing and adopting what's already been done and a 10 point priority list for moving forward."
City of Ventura eNews: Achieving Our Vision
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Current and past issues of Achieving Our Vision can be found online at http://www.cityofventura.net/enews/smartgrowth.
Masthead Art: katherinemcguire.com
