I am deeply concerned that a historic survey has not been done in midtown Ventura. It seems to me that before we can even have a midtown plan in place, a historic survey of our neighborhood should be done. I also believe strongly that, instead of doing this by neighborhood, an entire city historical survey should be done. Why midtown was not included in the downtown survey is beyond me.
How can we identify our city resources without taking the necessary steps to achieve that goal?
We talk about smart growth and open space, while we ignore our infrastructure. Is this smart growth? Must the entire city of Ventura be punished because we do not wish our hillsides to be littered with development projects and end up looking like the San Francisco hillsides? Must the city be punished because we want open space and wish to not look like Oxnard? Are our options really more traffic on Victoria Avenue, Telephone Road and Main Street? Are our options more bland looking housing such as those on Telephone and Main? Are the only options for midtown hookers or condos? Is the only option for new jobs and business retail?
We keep discussing smart growth and business growth, but what about selling our city as a model for sustainable living, a great tourist destination, a city that welcomes business?
From what I have seen for midtown, we are not addressing any of these concerns. Before we know it, Thompson Boulevard will be transformed into a block of condos. I would tend to think that Thompson and Main should be bright and cheery, connecting downtown with the mall, with enticing eateries and services, fun neighborhoods to walk around in and explore.
— Karrie Keyes, Ventura
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