I've been following the Walmart deal and I have come to the conclusion that the city of Ventura has no vision.
When you go to Santa Barbara, you clearly see that they require buildings to meet strict design standards to maintain a "feel" about their city. When you drive through the Thousand Oaks area, you get the same feeling. They want their cities to have a certain atmosphere. It is nice to go there and spend money, or just hang out.
Ventura had the opportunity to create something attractive when the mall was redone, but they went the affordable route (to appease the developer?). We had another chance when the mall lost a major anchor store. They could have made that end of the mall an outdoor shopping promenade like the ones in Thousand Oaks and Santa Barbara. But we get another Target instead.
When driving around the city, there's no congruency in building design or theme. You see every type of building, giving the city a cheapened look. Now they want another Walmart? On a street that's already too crowded? In a city with nowhere to go but downtown, they do this? Where is the vision? Where is the pride?
Yes, tax dollars are nice, but at what cost? Other cities get the big bucks spent there because they are nice places to go. Ventura is convinced that big-box budget stores are the way to go.
We live in the last Southern California beach city that has space left to develop, and we're turning it into a big pile of discount stores and tall condos. I don't get it.
Just develop a vision and tell us what it is. Then make developers toe the mark or find somewhere else to build their junk. The council has the clout it needs as the last beachside city to have any land left. Use it to beautify Ventura.
-- David Eckerson, Ventura