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Achieving our Vision, One Project, One Neighborhood, at a time. Watercolor by Katherine McGuire, katherinemcguire.com

Ventura Housing Entitlement Process Improves

Ventura has a reputation for project reviews being long and confusing – to property owners, developers, neighbors and the general public. Since the adoption of a new General Plan in 2005, many of the controversial projects that began life before have finally come forward for final decisions – and it has been a long and winding road for many of them.

But the new General Plan gives a much clearer yardstick to measure new project proposals. Our goal is to reduce the length of time and the mixed messages that often plagued development review in the past.

Citrus Walk Plans
Citrus Walk Plans (Olson Company)
So while clearer rules, codes and procedures have been or are being put into place, how do we measure performance? Is the process getting any less difficult for everyone to participate in and follow?

In an effort to provide great customer service for everyone involved, the Community Development Department has set clear goals for how long each legally required step should take – and tracking how well we are doing on those goals each and every month.

The first step was creating a database that tracks the number of days it takes to process completed applications and move them through the process. Here are the goals:

Citrus Walk Begins Constuction
Citrus Walk Begins Construction
Given the crowded case calendar, we set a realistic initial goal of meeting these targets at least 80% of the time (there will always be some circumstances where some projects take a little longer.) Since September 2006, your Community Development Department has achieved these goals at least 80% of the time each and every month. The rate continues to improve. In March 2007, 10 out of 11 completed applications met the targeted processing, exceeding our minimum threshold by 11%. This quicker turn-around in making decisions is clearly making a difference. In the first four months of 2007, 221 new homes have already been approved, compared to 466 and 469 in all twelve months of 2005 and 2006. The softening market, however, has resulted in a slower pace of actually beginning construction.

The General Plan goals for stressing high quality infill as an alternative to suburban sprawl are the focus of continued improvements in the development review process. On May 7, the City Council will receive a progress report on the implementation of recommendations to reduce unnecessary delays and confusion in how our staff and commissions process projects. By setting clear goals and holding ourselves accountable to achieving them, we are implementing Ventura's vision one neighborhood and one project at a time.

City Manager Blog

City Manager Rick Cole gives immediate insight into breaking news. His latest post analyzes the approval of the Aldea Hermosa project:

Elbow room for families -- just right the second time?

"Last Monday (April 23rd) the City Council unanimously adopted a revised plan for the Aldea Hermosa housing proposal in the Saticoy and Wells area. The plan had been through numerous reviews and when it first came to the Council last month, the Council voted 5-1 for to ask the developer to revise the project."

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Masthead Art: katherinemcguire.com