ventura’s general plan
CITY OF
A C H I E V I N G T H E V I S I O N
of Ventura, in order to ensure that
our community continues to be a
great place for us to live . . .
WE THE PEOPLE
JOE VIRNIG
D R A F T
May 2005
CITY OF SAN BUENAVENTURA
VENTURA GENERAL PLAN
Public Review Draft
MAY 24, 2005
A C K N O W L E D G E M E N T S
The following people contributed John Hecht, Commissioner
tDor athfte 2 p0r0e5p aVreantitounr ao fG tehen e ral Plan: Sandy E. Smith, Council Member
Christy Weir, Council Member
CITY COUNCIL
Brian Brennan, Mayor COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
Carl E. Morehouse, Deputy Mayor ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Neal Andrews, Council Member Dan Long, Chair
Bill Fulton, Council Member Rob Corley, Vice Chair
James L. Monahan, Council Member Darlene Benz
Sandy E. Smith, Council Member Bart Bleuel
Christy Weir, Council Member Don Bowles
Holly Breiner
PLANNING COMMISSION Carolyn Briggs
Carolyn Briggs, Chair Dan Cormode
Curt Stiles, Vice Chair Tim Dagodag
Ronald Allen, Commissioner Karen Flock
Michael Faulconer, Commissioner Fred Gientke
Martel Fraser, Commissioner Rondi Guthrie
Bill Growdon, Commissioner Jorge Gutierrez
John Hecht, Commissioner Margaret Merryman
Carl Morehouse
GENERAL PLAN COMMITTEE Kioren Moss
Carolyn Briggs, Planning Commission Chair Jaime Santana
Michael Faulconer, Commissioner Bob Tobias
Bill Fulton, Council Member Dan Wolnick
A C K N O W L E D G E M E N T S
CITY STAFF
Rick Cole, City Manager
Mary Walsh, Deputy City Manager
Bob Boehm, City Attorney
Susan J. Daluddung, Community
Development Director
Lead Staff
Ann B. Daigle, Urban Development
Manager
Kari Gialketsis, Principal Planner
Jim Neuerberg, Assistant City Attorney II
Lisa Y. Porras, AICP, Senior Planner
Eric W. Lentz, Associate Planner
V. S. Chandrashaker, Associate
Transportation Engineer
Supporting Staff
Teresa Purrington, Management Technician
Sue Torres, Administrative Secretary
Luz Juachon, Secretary
Pat Womack, IT/ Word Processing
Priscilla Holmes, Graphics
Robert Garven, IT/ Print Shop
TECHNICAL CONSULTANTS
TO THE CITY
Lead Consultants
Crawford Multari and Clark Associates
Rincon Consultants, Inc.
Supporting Consultants
Austin Foust Associates
Cotton/ Bridges/ Associates - A Division of
P& D Consultants
Moore Iacofano Goltsman, Inc.
Moule & Polyzoides
PSOMAS
Stanley R. Hoffman Associates
And to the countless citizens who gave their
time and energy towards the making of this
plan.
This plan is dedicated to the citizens of
Ventura.
May 24, 2005
C O N T E N T S
Table of Contents Infill First ..................................................... 3- 1
Building on the Basic Block......................... 3- 5
OVERVIEW...................................................... 1 Planning Designations ................................ 3- 6
Goals for Our Future ...................................... 2 Corridors and Districts ................................ 3- 7
Introduction and Background ......................... 4 Agricultural Lands ....................................... 3- 9
The Ventura General Plan ............................. 5 Growth Management ................................ 3- 10
Vision Goals................................................... 6 Policies and Actions.................................. 3- 11
Building on the Vision .................................... 8 4. OUR ACCESSIBLE COMMUNITY.................. 4- 1
Plan Format ................................................... 9 An Integrated Mobility System .................... 4- 1
California Coastal Act .................................. 12 Travel Modes .............................................. 4- 3
Development Pattern and Potential ............. 13 Policies and Actions.................................... 4- 9
1. OUR NATURAL COMMUNITY...................... 1- 1 5. OUR SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE ....... 5- 1
Natural Context .......................................... 1- 1 Essential Support Systems......................... 5- 1
Coastal Resources..................................... 1- 2 Water Supply .............................................. 5- 2
Hillsides...................................................... 1- 3 Wastewater Treatment................................ 5- 3
Rivers and Barrancas ................................ 1- 4 Storm Drainage........................................... 5- 4
Resource Conservation ............................. 1- 4 Policies and Actions.................................... 5- 5
Policies and Actions................................... 1- 5 6. OUR ACTIVE COMMUNITY ......................... 6- 1
2. OUR PROSPEROUS COMMUNITY................ 2- 1 Higher Standards........................................ 6- 1
Adapting in the 21st Century....................... 2- 1 City Parks and Open Space........................ 6- 2
Economic Challenges ................................ 2- 1 Policies and Actions.................................... 6- 5
Pillars of Prosperity .................................... 2- 3 7. OUR HEALTHY & SAFE COMMUNITY .......... 7- 1
Policies and Actions................................... 2- 4 Community Wellness .................................. 7- 1
3. OUR WELL PLANNED COMMUNITY ............ 3- 1 Geologic and Flood Hazards ...................... 7- 2
Our City...................................................... 3- 1 Fire and Emergency Response .................. 7- 3
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Police Protection ......................................... 7- 4 First Assembly of God Land Initiative .............. F- 1
Noise........................................................... 7- 5
Hazardous Materials ................................... 7- 6 ATTACHMENTS
Policies and Actions.................................... 7- 8 Glossary of Terms ........................................... A- 1
8. OUR EDUCATED COMMUNITY .................... 8- 1 Charter of the New Urbanism .......................... B- 1
Lifelong Learning ........................................ 8- 1
Leveraging Our Assets ............................... 8- 1 Tables
Libraries of the Future................................. 8- 3 Table 1 General Plan Organization ................ 10
City and Community Programs ................... 8- 3 Table 2 Development Potential....................... 14
Policies and Actions.................................... 8- 4 Table 4- 1 Thoroughfare Sizes and Types ........ 4- 7
9. OUR CREATIVE COMMUNITY ..................... 9- 1 Table 5- 1 Water Production.............................. 5- 2
A Rich Foundation ...................................... 9- 1 Table 5- 2 Wastewater Treatment Facilities ...... 5- 3
Historic Context........................................... 9- 1 Table 6- 1 Park Acreage per 1,000 Population. 6- 1
Arts and Culture .......................................... 9- 3 Table 6- 2 City Park Facilities ............................ 6- 3
Policies and Actions.................................... 9- 5 Table 7- 1 Typical Noise Levels......................... 7- 5
10. OUR INVOLVED COMMUNITY.................. 10- 1 Table 7- 2 Acceptable Noise Levels .................. 7- 6
Civic Engagement..................................... 10- 1 Table 8- 1 Education Level ................................ 8- 1
Policies and Actions.................................. 10- 4 Table 8- 2 Private Schools................................. 8- 1
Table 8- 3 Ventura Unified School District
Enrollment......................................................... 8- 2 APPENDICES
Table 8- 4 Public School Demands ................... 8- 2
Summary of Actions......................................... A- 1
Table 8- 5 Local Libraries .................................. 8- 3
2004 Housing Element Goals & Policies ......... B- 1
Table 9- 1 Key Historical and Cultural Sites ...... 9- 1
Save Our Agricultural Resources ( SOAR)....... C- 1
Table 9- 2 Art and Cultural Institutions .............. 9- 4
Hillside Voter Participation Area ...................... D- 1
Ventura Community Park SOAR Amendment E- 1
2005 Ventura General Plan Public Review Draft
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C O N T E N T S
Public Review Draft 2005 Ventura General Plan
May 2005 iii
Figures
General Plan Diagram ....................................... 17
Figure 3- 1 The Transect .................................. 3- 3
Figure 3- 2 Pedestrian Shed............................. 3- 4
Figure 3- 3 Infill Opportunities......................... 3- 13
Figure 4- 1 Bicycle Facilities ........................... 4- 12
Figure 4- 2 Bus and Rail Routes..................... 4- 13
Figure 4- 3 Roadway Classification Plan ........ 4- 14
Figure 6- 1 Public Facilities............................... 6- 6
Figure 7- 1 Natural Hazards ........................... 7- 11
Figure 7- 2 Emergency Response Times ....... 7- 12
Figure 7- 3 Noise Contours............................. 7- 13
Figure 9- 1 Historical Sites and Districts ........... 9- 7
ventura’s general plan
CITY OF
O V E R V I E W
SCHAFPHOTO. COM
“ The building of cities is one of man’s greatest
achievements. The form of his city always has been
and always will be a pitiless indicator of the state
of his civilization. This form is determined by the
multiplicity of decisions made by the people who
live in it.”
— Edmund N. Bacon
O V E R V I E W
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. . . establish these goals for
our community’s future:
OUR NATURAL COMMUNITY
Our goal is to be a model for other
communities of environmental
responsibility, living in balance with our
natural setting of coastline, rivers, and
hillside ecosystems.
OUR PROSPEROUS COMMUNITY
Our goal is to attract and retain
enterprises that provide high- value, high
wage jobs to strengthen our economy
and help fund vital public services.
OUR WELL- PLANNED COMMUNITY
Our goal is to protect our hillsides,
farmlands, and open spaces; enhance
Ventura’s historic and cultural
resources; respect our diverse
neighborhoods; reinvest in older areas
of our community; and make great
places by insisting on the highest
standards of quality in architecture,
landscaping and urban design.
OUR ACCESSIBLE COMMUNITY
Our goal is to provide residents with
more transportation choices by
strengthening and balancing bicycle,
pedestrian and transit connections in the
City and surrounding region.
OUR SUSTAINABLE
INFRASTRUCTURE
Our goal is to safeguard public health,
well- being and prosperity by providing
and maintaining facilities that enable the
community to live in balance with natural
systems.
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O V E R V I E W
OUR ACTIVE COMMUNITY
Our goal is to enhance our parks and
open spaces to provide enriching
recreation options for the entire
community.
OUR HEALTHY AND SAFE
COMMUNITY
Our goal is to build effective community
partnerships that protect and improve
the social well- being and security of all
our citizens.
OUR EDUCATED COMMUNITY
Our goal is to encourage academic
excellence and life- long learning
resources to promote a highly- educated
citizenry.
OUR CREATIVE COMMUNITY
Our goal is to become a vibrant cultural
center by weaving the arts into everyday
life.
OUR INVOLVED COMMUNITY
Our goal is to strive to work together as
a community to achieve the Ventura
Vision through civic engagement,
partnerships, and volunteer service.
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2005 Ventura General Plan Public Review Draft
4 May 2005
State law requires each
California city to adopt a
comprehensive, long- term
General Plan for the
physical development of
the community that guides
local decision- making by
expressing community
goals about the future
distribution and character
of land uses and activities.
The plan should be
comprehensive by both
covering the City’s entire
planning area and
addressing the broad range
of issues facing the
community, including
physical, social, aesthetic
and economic concerns.
The plan must be internally
consistent and serve as a
long- term guide,
establishing policies for
day- to- day land use
decisions over an
approximately 20- year
period.
Introduction and Background
“ To remain successful, Ventura must
periodically renew itself, re- examine its
goals and create a shared vision to guide
the community into the future.”
With these opening words, the citizens of our
community proclaimed the Ventura Vision, which
was unanimously accepted by the City Council in
March 2000. That landmark report captured the
results of “ a partnership encompassing city
government, non- profit organizations, community
groups, businesses, schools and individual
residents to chart the community’s future through
a process of visioning.”
Building on that shared vision, the City embarked
on an effort to revise the 1989 Comprehensive
Plan that served as the General Plan that all
cities are required by State law to use to guide
land use, transportation and other important
policy decisions. This new General Plan is the
culmination of that effort to translate the Ventura
Vision into a coherent and comprehensive
implementation plan to guide future development
and preservation.
Throughout the visioning process and at the
ballot box, Ventura residents have made clear we
want a well- planned approach to managing
growth. We don’t want continued suburban
sprawl paving over farm land and sensitive
hillside areas. Instead, we want to vacant or run-down
properties be improved with high quality
“ infill” to provide new jobs, new homes and new
stores and services.
Managing growth to improve our quality of life
and standard of living is the smart thing to do.
Ventura residents don’t want uncontrolled growth
and suburban sprawl. We also don’t want traffic
gridlock, more “ cookie cutter” tract houses or
housing prices that make Ventura unaffordable
for working families. By targeting new
development to areas that would benefit from
reinvestment – and by respecting our historic
character and sense of place – “ smart growth” is
a better alternative.
Our vision is for a prosperous and well-planned
community. Smart Growth emphasizes
reusing existing buildings and land, revitalizing
our historic downtown and neighborhoods, and
protecting the environment for future generations.
Smart Growth channels new businesses and
homes into appropriate areas. It also provides
options for public transportation, creates
neighborhoods where homes are in walking
distance of local services and ensures green
space for public use.
We seek to protect and enhance our unique
“ sense of place" that builds on our pride in
Ventura’s history and natural setting. Instead of
new development that looks like everywhere else,
our vision is for interesting, unique neighborhoods
and districts, which reflect our values and
heritage. The policies for pursuing these goals
are spelled out in this new General Plan.
O V E R V I E W
The Ventura General Plan
The 2005 Ventura General Plan is the second in
a series of three connected documents that will
guide future conservation and change in the city.
The Ventura Vision set the stage for this plan and
enumerated four overarching principles that were
affirmed by the community to guide Ventura into
the future:
• Reach broadly and deeply into the
community.
• Build on existing cultural, natural, and
economic assets.
• Emphasize and encourage connections
within the community.
• Work proactively and collaboratively to
achieve the community’s shared vision.
The final piece of the trilogy is a form- based
Development Code. This code represents a new
approach to zoning that prioritizes the
appearance of development, while still ensuring
that neighboring land uses are compatible and
appropriate.
The General Plan purposefully anticipates the
Code focusing on the districts, corridors, and
neighborhood centers where future change will
be most pronounced.
The following vision statements reflect a high
level of community consensus about a desired
future for Ventura.
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In the future, Ventura is a community that… Planning, Design, and Circulation
• Retains its character as an attractive
coastal town by growing slowly and
sustainably, and by emphasizing its
history, diversity, and natural environment.
Environment
• Seeks sustainability by simultaneously
promoting ecological health, economic
vitality, and social well- being for current
and future generations.
• Cherishes its distinctive, diverse, and
eclectic neighborhoods, and preserves
• Acts as an environmentally responsible their character.
model for other coastal areas. • Has safe, accessible, and balanced
transportation that promotes multiple
modes of travel to local and regional
destinations.
• Protects and restores the natural
character of its beaches, ocean views,
hillsides, barrancas, and rivers as a scenic
backdrop for its high quality urban
environment.
Social Activity
• Is known as an inclusive, diverse, and
tolerant place that welcomes and
celebrates all people.
Economy
• Develops a flourishing and balanced
economy by encouraging a broad range of
high quality employment and
entrepreneurial opportunities.
• Provides all residents access to quality
and affordable health and social services.
• Recognizes the importance of children
and seniors by providing exceptional
cultural, educational, and social support
programs.
• Encourages private economic
development that supports public services
and amenities associated with high quality
of life. • Offers a diverse range of active and
passive recreation for residents and
visitors of all ages and abilities.
• Has a vital, prosperous, and stable
economy while maintaining its small- town
feel. • Is dedicated to educational excellence
• Is noted for private and public sector and an emphasis on lifelong learning.
cooperation that enhances economic
vitality.
• Celebrates and is enriched by the arts and
diverse cultural opportunities.
• Actively participates in regional economic
development efforts.
Collaboration
• Encourages residents to collaborate with
each other and City government in an
informed, active, and constructive manner
to assess and resolve common issues.
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O V E R V I E W
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• Provide a variety of transportation
choices.
Building on the Vision
Following adoption of the Ventura Vision, the City
Council established a 19- member
Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee
( CPAC) to shape the Vision concepts into issues
and priorities for revision of the 1989
Comprehensive Plan. The CPAC included
representatives of varied interests, including
neighborhoods, agriculture, seniors and schools,
as well as one member from the Planning
Commission and one from the City Council. The
committee met more than 30 times over almost
three years. During that effort, the City published
the August 2002 Comprehensive Plan Update
Background Report, which provides a highly
detailed account and analysis of opportunities
and constraints that affect planning and land use
in Ventura. This ultimately led to their findings,
contained in the September 2003 CPAC Issues &
Alternatives Report.
• Make development decisions predictable,
fair, and cost effective.
• Encourage community collaboration in
planning decisions.
The recommendations of the CPAC were
presented to the Planning Commission and City
Council. After several months of reviewing the
CPAC recommendations, the Planning
Commission in December 2003 made some
modifications to the CPAC’s recommended land
use scenario.
The City Council met 11 times from February
through August 2004 to consider the CPAC and
Planning Commission recommendations, review
relevant data, and formulate broad goals,
policies, and a diagram to guide growth and
change in the City until 2025. In September
2004, the City Council established an ad- hoc
General Plan Committee consisting of three
Planning Commissioners and three City Council
members to work with City staff and consultants
to ensure that the General Plan would be
completed expeditiously and with ample public
participation, and to ensure open communication,
transparency, and coordination among all parties
interested in the creation of the Plan. All of the
CPAC, Planning Commission, City Council, and
General Plan Committee workshops, meetings,
and hearings were open to the public and
included significant, meaningful, and often
extensive citizen input and participation.
CPAC endeavored to create strategies to resolve
planning and land use issues in Ventura utilizing
the smart growth principles formulated by the
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency:
• Mix land uses.
• Achieve compact building design.
• Provide a range of housing opportunities.
• Create walkable neighborhoods.
• Foster distinctive, attractive communities
with a strong sense of place.
• Preserve open space, farmland, natural
beauty, and critical environmental areas.
• Strengthen and direct development
toward existing communities.
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O V E R V I E W
Plan Format
Goals summarize how
conservation, development,
and future growth should
occur by identifying
physical, economic and
social ends that the
community wishes to
achieve.
Policies establish basic
courses of action for the
Planning Commission and
City Council to follow in
working to achieve
community goals, by
directly guiding the
response of elected and
appointed officials to
development proposals
and related community
actions.
Actions need to be
undertaken by the City to
implement policies.
The comprehensive and involved process of
creating what is really a totally new ( not just
updated) General Plan – based on a new
community vision and smart growth principles –
resulted in a new set of goals, policies, and
actions to guide future decision- making in
Ventura that truly reflect the planning objectives
of the community. These policy directives are
organized by subject area in General Plan
Chapters 1 through 10, which follow the
organizational framework established in the
Ventura Vision ( see Table 1). Each topic is
introduced with a mission statement and
overarching goal that carries forward the Vision,
description of issues needing resolution and
methods for remedying them, and finally
measurable policies and actions to achieve those
solutions. All of the actions are summarized in
table form in Appendix A, along with the City
department or division responsible for
implementing each action and timeframe for
completion. Also included in the Plan are the
legally binding Appendices B through F, while the
Attachments are provided as references.
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Table 1
General Plan Organization
Vision/ General Plan
Chapter
Required/ Optional
Elements Examples of Topics Covered
1. Our Natural Community Conservation
Open Space
Open space, hillsides, watersheds, riparian
areas, sensitive plants and animals
2. Our Prosperous Community Economic
Development
Commercial and industrial growth, economic
diversification, job opportunities, tourism
3. Our Well- Planned and Designed
Community
Land Use/ Design
Housing
Park & Recreation
Development patterns, neighborhoods, visual
character, urban design, streetscapes,
demographics, housing needs, affordability,
constraints on production
4. Our Accessible Community Circulation Traffic, street network, parking, transit
services, bike routes
5. Our Sustainable Infrastructure Land Use Water supply, wastewater treatment, drainage
6. Our Active Community Land Use
Park & Recreation
Park and recreation facilities, youth and senior
programs
7. Our Healthy and Safe
Community
Safety
Noise
Development in hazardous areas, hazardous
waste management, seismicity, flood control,
water quality, brownfields, noise
8. Our Educated Community Land Use Schools and libraries
9. Our Creative Community Culture Arts, events, community programs, cultural
and historic resources
10. Our Involved Community Citizen Input Participation in governance
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O V E R V I E W
The format of the General Plan satisfies the State
requirement that every general plan include
policies for seven “ elements,” as follows:
Open Space – details techniques for preserving
open space areas for natural resources, outdoor
recreation, public health and safety, and
agricultural activities.
Land use – establishes the general distribution
and intensity of land uses, including housing,
commerce, industry, open space, education, and
public facilities.
Safety – establishes policies to protect the
community from risks associated with seismic,
geologic, flood, fire, and other hazards.
Circulation – identifies the location and type of
existing and proposed highways, arterial and
collector roadways, bicycle routes, and other
transportation facilities.
The General Plan also contains a number of
special elements that aren’t required by State law
but are integral to the unique identity of Ventura.
These cover a range of topics including
education, recreation, arts and culture, and
community involvement in local government.
Another chapter treats the very important subject
of the local economy, providing guidance to
citizens, City staff and policy makers regarding
strategies and priorities for economic
development in Ventura.
Conservation – addresses treatment of natural
and cultural resources, including watersheds,
wetlands, trees, rivers and barrancas, and
cultural and historic landmarks.
Housing – assesses current and projected
housing needs of all segments of the community
and identifies land to provide adequate housing to
meet those needs. Although the City’s Housing
Element and Technical Report is contained in a
separate document to facilitate the frequent
updating required by the State, the goals, policies
and programs of the Housing Element must be
and are consistent with the goals, policies, and
actions of the 2005 Ventura General Plan. ( See
Appendix B for 2004 Housing Element Goals and
Policies.)
Noise – appraises noise sources in the
community and develops means to mitigate
nuisances.
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California Coastal Act
The General Plan also satisfies State
requirements for the City’s Local Coastal
Program in accordance with the California
Coastal Act ( Public Resources Code § 30000 et
seq.). Actions in the General Plan that affect
coastal resources – and thereby are part of the
Land Use Plan of the Local Coastal Program –
are identified with the logo of the California
Coastal Commission ( which oversees all Local
Coastal Programs). The basic goals of the State
for the coastal zone are to:
• Assure priority for coastal- dependent and
coastal- related development over other
development on the coast.
• Encourage state and local initiatives and
cooperation in preparing procedures to
implement coordinated planning and
development for mutually beneficial uses,
including educational uses, in the coastal
zone.
( Public Resources Code § 30001.5)
• Protect, maintain, and where feasible,
enhance and restore the overall quality of the
coastal zone environment and its natural and
artificial resources.
• Assure orderly, balanced utilization and
conservation of coastal zone resources taking
into account the social and economic needs
of the people of the state.
• Maximize public access to and along the
coast and maximize public recreational
opportunities in the coastal zone consistent
with sound resources conservation principles
and constitutionally protected rights of the
private property owners.
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O V E R V I E W
A Note about Maps:
Maps in the General Plan
are intended to convey
features generally. They are
not intended to locate
features on a parcel- specific
basis or substitute for more
detailed official maps, such
as those depicting bus
routes or police station
locations.
• The Downtown, Harbor, North Bank, and
Saticoy areas.
Development Pattern and Potential
Because planning and development issues do not
necessarily follow political boundaries, State law
provides for a general plan to include “ any land
outside its boundaries which, in the planning
agency's judgment, bears relation to its planning.”
Therefore, the 2005 Ventura General Plan
applies both to the incorporated city and to
unincorporated areas in the Sphere of Influence
that could be annexed into the city and receive
City services by 2025. ( The Ventura County
Local Agency Formation Commission establishes
the Sphere of Influence to denote areas under
County jurisdiction where the City has a shared
concern regarding land use and development.)
The General Plan Diagram ( see page 17) also
includes the hillsides north of the city and a
portion of Taylor Ranch west of the Ventura River
in the City’s “ planning area.” In anticipation of the
form- based emphasis of the Development Code,
the diagram depicts:
Table 2 provides estimates of the amount of
development that could reasonably be expected
to occur in the city, sphere of influence, and
potential expansion areas based on the densities
and intensities allowed under each planning
designation.
The actual distribution of future growth in the City
may vary based on market forces and other
factors. The districts, corridors, and
neighborhood center areas could accommodate
more development and/ or a different mix of
development than shown in the table.
Distribution of growth in the districts and corridors
is based on the following general assumptions:
• Development in the Downtown and
Harbor Districts will conform to the plans
for those areas,
• Ventura’s distinct and unique
neighborhoods.
• The Downtown area and, to a lesser
extent, the Ventura Avenue corridor will
be the focus of future residential and
commercial growth, and
• Planning designations that generally allow
a mixture of uses to encourage housing to
be located near shopping, entertainment,
and services ( and thereby reduce the
need for automobile travel).
• The Arundell, North Avenue, and Upper
North Avenue areas will be the focus of
future industrial growth ( with some
• Commercial and industrial districts and residential uses).
corridors that form the City’s economic
backbone.
• Neighborhood Centers where businesses
and housing in combination can create
community gathering places.
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Table 2. Development Potential
Non- Residential Development ( square feet)
Residential
Development
( units) Retail Office Industrial Hotel Total
DISTRICTS
Upper North Avenue 100 10,000 50,000 150,000 210,000
North Avenue 50 10,000 50,000 250,000 310,000
Downtown Specific Plan 1,600 100,000 200,000 150,000 450,000
Pacific View Mall 25 25,000 0 25,000
Harbor Area 300 66,000 150,000 216,000
Arundell 200 25,000 300,000 1,000,000 1,325,000
North Bank/ Auto Center Specific Plan 50 300,000 50,000 300,000 650,000
Montalvo 50 50,000 25,000 75,000
Saticoy 50 0 25,000 25,000
Subtotals ( Districts) 2,425 536,000 700,000 1,750,000 300,000 3,286,000
CORRIDORS
Ventura Avenue 800 40,000 100,000 50,000 190,000
Main Street 100 15,000 40,000 55,000
Thompson Boulevard 300 15,000 40,000 55,000
Loma Vista Road 25 15,000 40,000 55,000
Telegraph Road 250 15,000 40,000 55,000
Victoria Avenue 50 15,000 40,000 55,000
Johnson Drive 150 50,000 20,000 70,000
Wells Road 50 15,000 20,000 35,000
Subtotals ( Corridors) 1,725 180,000 340,000 50,000 0 570,000
O V E R V I E W
SPHERE OF INFLUENCE( SOI)/ OTHER INFILL
101/ 126 Agriculture 200 0
Wells/ Saticoy 1,050 0
Pierpont 100 30,000 30,000
Other Neighborhood Centers 100
Second Units 300
Underutilized 250
Vacant 450 165,000 50,000 215,000
Subtotals ( Other Infill) 2,450 195,000 50,000 0 0 245,000
Totals ( Intensification/ Reuse) 6,600 911,000 1,090,000 1,800,000 300,000 4,101,000
PLANNED AND PENDING DEVELOPMENTS
Downtown 50 1,072 150,000 151,072
Ventura Avenue/ Westside 238 7,086 27,000 34,086
Midtown 34 13,751 13,751
College ( Telegraph/ Loma Vista) 4 2,718 8,849 11,567
Telephone Road Corridor 256 54,785 54,785
Montalvo/ Victoria 296 4,300 4,300
Saticoy/ East End 840 7,950 5,600 13,550
Arundell 41,640 42,614 18,080 102,334
Olivas 7,160 7,066 390,053 404,279
Subtotals ( Planned/ Pending 1,718 81,377 123,214 435,133 150,000 789,724
Totals ( Intensification +
SOI/ Other+ Pending) 8,318 992,377 1,213,214 2,235,133 450,000 4,890,724
Public Review Draft 2005 Ventura General Plan
May 2005 1 5
2 0 0 5 V E N T U R A G E N E R A L P L A N
Footnotes for Table 2:
The following potential projects not included in
the 2004 Planned and Pending Developments list
have been included in the future development
totals: ( 1) 150,000 square feet of industrial
development in the North Bank area; ( 2) 165,000
square feet of retail development along Wells
Road in the Saticoy area; ( 3) 50,000 square feet
of office development on a 3.5- acre site along
Ralston Drive. The Auto Center industrial project
is included in the Auto Center district; the other
two projects are included in the " vacant"
category. The square footage associated with
these projects has been added to the projections
of future growth to provide a conservative
analysis of possible future impacts.
Growth estimates for the Arundell community
consider the likely development of the 75- acre
McGrath property with a mix of uses and
development of other vacant lands. Growth
estimates for the North Bank area consider the
possibility of a large retailer in that area.
Estimates of growth in the SOI/ Other Infill sites
are based on the following general assumptions:
( a) 101/ 126 Orchard site will develop similarly to
a project recently proposed for that site; ( b)
Wells/ Saticoy sites will develop in accordance
with ongoing planning efforts for those areas; ( c)
the Pierpont area will develop generally in
accordance with a conceptual project recently
considered by the City; ( d) Second Units will be
added at a rate of 15/ year; ( e) roughly half of
underutilized lands identified in the Housing
Element will be re- developed over the next 20
years; ( f) all vacant lands outside the districts and
corridors will be developed in accordance with the
proposed planning designations. Planned and
Pending Developments based upon the City's
2004 Pending Projects list. Building areas do not
include self storage facilities.
Together development projections and the
diagram offer a sense of how much growth
Ventura might experience by 2025, and a picture
of where such change is likely to occur. Precisely
how and when development happens and what
resources are conserved will be determined by
the actions presented in the following ten
chapters of the General Plan, and by the specific
standards in a Development Code.
2005 Ventura General Plan Public Review Draft
16 May 2005
V e n t u r a R i v e r
S a n t a C l a r a R i v e r
DRAFT GENERAL PLAN DIAGRAM
This map is a product of the City of San Buenaventura, California. Although reasonable efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of this map, the City of San Buenaventura cannot guarantee its accuracy.
SOURCE: City of Ventura
P a c i f i c O c e a n
Corridors, Neighborhood Centers ( NC)
City Limits
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Commerce
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Parks and Open Space
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Draft Harbor Master Plan
ventura’s general plan
CITY OF
O U R N A T U R A L C O M M U N I T Y
SCHAFPHOTO. COM
“ As age comes on, one source of enjoyment after
another is closed, but Nature’s sources never fail. Like
a generous host, she offers her brimming cups in
endless variety, served in a grand hall, the sky its ceiling,
the mountains its walls, decorated with glorious
paintings and enlivened with bands of music
ever playing.”
— John Muir
O U R N A T U R A L C O M M U N I T Y
Ventura, Oxnard, Ventura County, and the
County Local Agency Formation Commission
have adopted agreements to preserve agricultural
and open space land located between the cities.
A change that amends these greenbelts requires
the approval of all signatories.
1. OUR NATURAL COMMUNITY
Our goal is to be a model for other communities
of environmental responsibility, living in balance
with our natural setting of coastline, rivers, and
hillside ecosystems.
Protecting Ventura’s fragile natural resources is a
fundamental focus of the 2005 Ventura General
Plan. Policies and actions in this chapter intend
to ensure that coastal, hillside, and watershed
features are preserved, remain visible and
accessible, and demarcate boundaries for urban
development to define and enhance the city’s
identity.
Natural Context
Ventura’s natural setting is one if its greatest
assets, and preserving the environment is a top
community priority. Situated between the ocean,
hills, and two rivers, the city affords its residents
and visitors with a significant amount of
accessible, beautiful, and biologically diverse
open space. Although a number of programs are
in place to protect coastal and watershed
ecosystems and to maintain and preserve
existing open lands, some natural features in and
around the city have been compromised by the
impacts of human activity.
As in many communities across the nation,
concern is growing in Ventura about human
impacts on natural resources. The historic
spread of local development has given rise to
grassroots efforts aimed at preserving Ventura’s
viable agricultural land, open space, and hillsides.
The 1995 Save Our Agricultural Resources
initiative ( see Appendix C) and the 2001 Hillside
Voter Participation Area ( Appendix D) measure
require voter approval before the city can expand
into open space areas. The Ventura Hillsides
Conservancy formed in 2003 seeks to preserve
local hillsides, canyons, and open space.
Public Review Draft 2005 Ventura General Plan
May 2005 1- 1
C H A P T E R 1
The community cherishes the
shoreline as one of Ventura’s
best features. Coastal facilities
in the city include:
• Emma Wood State Beach
• Ventura Seaside Park and
Fairgrounds
• Surfers Point at Seaside Park
• Beachfront Promenade Park
• San Buenaventura State Beach
• Pierpont Community Beach
• Marina Beach/ Cove Port District
Beach
• Channel Islands National Park
Headquarters
• Surfers Knoll
• Santa Clara River Mouth
Coastal Resources
Ventura boasts seven miles of beautiful sand
beaches and valuable shoreline habitat. This
“ string of pearls” has long been identified by the
community as one of the city’s most prized
features. At its eastern end, the Ventura Harbor
offers opportunities for residents and visitors to
explore the local marine environment, including
the Channel Islands National Park and Marine
Sanctuary. Elsewhere along the coast, shoreline
and dune habitat provide nesting, feeding, and
mating grounds for a wide variety of wildlife,
including threatened or endangered species such
as the western snowy plover and the least tern.
Shoreline conservation programs underway
include the Surfers Point Managed Shoreline
Retreat, San Buenaventura State Beach
restoration, Ventura Harbor wetland rehabilitation,
and coastline water quality monitoring. The City
will continue to invest in restoration to enhance
the shoreline ecosystem, with the actions in this
chapter augmenting current efforts.
2005 Ventura General Plan Public Review Draft
May 2005
1- 2
O U R N A T U R A L C O M M U N I T Y
Hillsides
The hills of the Transverse Range rise 1,200 feet
above Ventura, providing a dramatic visual
backdrop and scenic vistas, as well as habitat for
many species. Although most of these areas lie
outside the city limits ( with a County land use
designation of either Open Space or Agriculture),
protection of the hillsides is vital to the
community.
The policies and development criteria of the City’s
Hillside Management Program limit the number,
distribution, and construction methods of dwelling
units in the hillside area in order to retain natural
qualities and minimize hazards to people and
property. Because the Hillside Voter Participation
Area prohibits the extension of City urban
services to the hillsides through 2030, the
General Plan Diagram ( page 17) identifies the
hillsides affected by the measure as Open Space.
This chapter includes an action calling for
updating the Hillside Management Program as
needed to comply with the new planning
designation for this area. The full text of the
Hillside Voter Participation Area appears in
Appendix D ( as required by the act).
Public Review Draft 2005 Ventura General Plan
May 2005 1- 3
C H A P T E R 1
Rivers and Barrancas
Actions in this chapter – such as maintaining
adequate buffers from watercourses, requiring
restoration of natural drainage features, and
prohibiting the placement of manmade materials
in drainages – can protect and improve water and
habitat quality in local watersheds. The bolder
action of removing concrete channel structures
would further enhance natural functions and
aesthetics.
The Ventura River flows south to the Pacific
Ocean along the western edge of the city, and the
Santa Clara River bisects the Oxnard coastal
plain south of Ventura. A series of seasonal
watercourses called barrancas traverse the city in
narrow incised drainage channels running down
from the hillsides. The rivers and barrancas and
their larger watersheds provide undeveloped
open space, riparian vegetation, wildlife habitat
and corridors, recreational opportunities, and
aesthetic beauty.
Resource Conservation
As Ventura continues to grow, conserving
resources and increasing energy efficiency
become ever more important. Raising
conservation awareness can help minimize waste
and pollution released into the natural
environment. Improving energy efficiency in
buildings, expanding recycling programs, and
reducing transportation- related energy
consumption will make the city a greener place.
The policies and actions in this chapter provide
clear direction to guide conservation and
responsible use of resources.
Where local watercourses have not been
channelized, riparian trees and shrubs grow in
fringing woodlands and thickets. Several
sensitive bird species breed in these areas,
including the least Bell’s vireo, willow flycatcher,
yellow warbler, and yellow- breasted chat.
Steelhead and rainbow trout seasonally inhabit
both the Ventura and Santa Clara Rivers.
Riparian and freshwater marsh areas in Ventura
represent only a remnant of pre- human coverage,
but the City has initiated conservation and
restoration efforts such as the Ventura River
Estuary Program to help reverse this trend. The
estuaries at the mouths of the Ventura and Santa
Clara Rivers serve as breeding grounds and
feeding areas for migratory and resident
shorebirds and waterfowl, as well as home to
many terrestrial animals, fish, and free- swimming
invertebrates.
2005 Ventura General Plan Public Review Draft
May 2005
1- 4
O U R N A T U R A L C O M M U N I T Y
Action 1.6: Support continued efforts to
decommission Matilija Dam to improve the sand
supply to local beaches.
Policy 1A: Reduce beach and hillside erosion
and threats to coastal ecosystem health.
Action 1.1: Adhere to the policies and directives
of the California Coastal Act in reviewing and
permitting any proposed development in the
Coastal Zone.
Action 1.2: Prohibit non- coastal- dependent energy
facilities within the Coastal Zone, and require any
coastal- dependent facilities including pipelines
and public utility structures to avoid coastal
resources ( including recreation, habitat, and
archaeological areas) to the extent feasible, or to
minimize any impacts if development in such
areas is unavoidable.
Action 1.3: Work with the State Department of
Parks and Recreation, Ventura County Watershed
Protection Agency, and the Ventura Port District to
determine and carry out appropriate methods for
protecting and restoring coastal resources,
including by supplying sand at beaches under the
Beach Erosion Authority for Control Operations
and Nourishment ( BEACON) South Central Coast
Beach Enhancement program.
Action 1.4: Require new coastal development to
provide non- structural shoreline protection that
avoids adverse impacts to coastal processes and
nearby beaches.
Action 1.5: Collect suitable material from dredging
and development, and add it to beaches as
needed and feasible.
Action 1.7: Update the Hillside Management
Program to address proposed development in
hillside areas with erosion potential.
Policy 1B: Increase the area of open space
protected from development impacts.
Action 1.8: Buffer barrancas and creeks that
retain natural soil slopes from development with a
minimum of 50 feet of natural existing or restored
vegetation.
Action 1.9: Prohibit placement of material in
watercourses other than native plants and
required flood control structures, and remove
debris periodically.
Action 1.10: Remove concrete channel structures
as funding allows, and where doing so will fit the
context of the surrounding area and not create
unacceptable flood or erosion potential.
Action 1.11: Require that sensitive wetland and
coastal areas be preserved as undeveloped open
space wherever feasible.
Action 1.12: Update the provisions of the Hillside
Management Program as necessary to ensure
protection of open space lands.
Action 1.13: Recommend that the City’s Sphere
of Influence boundary be coterminous with the
existing City limits in the hillsides in order to
preserve the hillsides as open space.
Public Review Draft 2005 Ventura General Plan
May 2005 1- 5
C H A P T E R 1
Action 1.20: Adopt development code provisions
to protect mature trees on public and private
property.
Policy 1C: Improve protection for plants and
animals.
Action 1.14: Comply with directives from
regulatory authorities to update and enforce
stormwater quality and watershed protection
measures that limit impacts to aquatic
ecosystems and that preserve and restore the
beneficial uses of natural watercourses and
wetlands in the city.
Action 1.21: Require, where appropriate, the
preservation of healthy tree windrows associated
with current and former agricultural uses, and
incorporate trees into the design of new
developments.
Action 1.15: Require development to mitigate its
impacts on wildlife through the development
review process.
Policy 1D: Expand the use of green practices.
Action 1.22: Purchase and use recycled materials
and alternative and renewable energy sources as
Action 1.16: Require new development adjacent to feasible in City operations.
rivers, creeks, and barrancas to use native or non-invasive
plant species, preferably drought tolerant,
for landscaping.
Action 1.23: Reduce pesticide use in City
operations.
Action 1.17: Require projects near watercourses,
shoreline areas, and other sensitive habitat areas
to include surveys for State and/ or federally listed
sensitive species and to provide appropriate
buffers and other mitigation necessary to protect
habitat for listed species.
Action 1.24: Utilize green waste as
biomass/ compost in City operations.
Action 1.25: Purchase low- emission City vehicles,
and convert existing gasoline- powered fleet
vehicles to cleaner fuels as technology becomes
available.
Action 1.18: Prohibit dredging during fish
spawning and bird migration cycles. Action 1.26: Encourage energy- conserving
design and alternative- source heating and cooling
systems and appliances in new and remodeled
buildings, in accordance with the Leadership in
Energy and Environmental Design rating system
of the U. S. Green Building Council.
Action 1.19: Work with State Parks on restoring
the Alessandro Lagoon and pursue funding
cooperatively.
2005 Ventura General Plan Public Review Draft
May 2005
1- 6
O U R N A T U R A L C O M M U N I T Y
Public Review Draft 2005 Ventura General Plan
May 2005 1- 7
Action 1.27: Provide information to businesses
about how to reduce waste and pollution and
conserve resources.
Action 1.28: Provide direction and incentives that
promote sustainable design and construction and
publicly acknowledge individuals and businesses
that implement green construction and practices.
Policy 1E: Improve energy efficiency and
reduce pollution through infrastructure
changes.
Action 1.29: Utilize light- colored structural
materials to reduce ambient temperatures.
Action 1.30: Continue to replace conventional
bulbs with energy- saving alternatives.
ventura’s general plan
CITY OF
O U R P R O S P E R O U S C O M M U N I T Y
" Every increment of construction should be
done in such a way as to heal the city.“
— Christopher Alexander
O U R P R O S P E R O U S C O M M U N I T Y
2. OUR PROSPEROUS COMMUNITY
Our goal is to attract and retain enterprises
that provide high- value, high wage jobs to
strengthen our economy and help fund vital
public services.
Adapting in the 21st Century
Great communities are prosperous communities.
A successful city brings people, institutions,
ideas, and capital together in creative ways that
enrich the lives of those who live and work there.
In today’s global economy, high- wage high- value
jobs are the foundation of the prosperity that
instills a city with the financial resources
necessary to provide high quality of life and
excellent community amenities.
Ventura has been blessed with a history of
prosperity, thanks in large part to success in
harnessing the area’s natural assets for economic
benefit. For most of the 20th Century, Ventura
was sustained largely by its role as the hub of the
region’s and agriculture industries. These two
sectors not only provided a stable source of jobs
and business opportunities, but also helped to
shape Ventura’s role as the legal, governmental,
and cultural center of the County.
In the 21st Century, however, Venturans can’t
take continued prosperity for granted.
Competition occurs regionally, nationally, and
globally for innovative businesses, top talent, and
good jobs. The community must build on its
resources and constantly be on the lookout for
new economic opportunities.
County government will likely remain the city’s
largest employer, providing an important element
of economic stability, but government
employment is not likely to grow significantly. Oil
and agriculture will continue to be important, but
their roles are diminishing. While Ventura is a
regional center for healthcare, that industry will
continue to face intense pressures to reduce
costs. The policies and actions in this chapter
seek to identify business niches that can thrive
locally to diversify the economic base and ensure
future community prosperity.
Economic Challenges
Ventura faces a variety of interrelated challenges
to continued economic vitality, including:
1. Capturing a share of high- value job markets,
such as biotechnology, computer software,
communications, entertainment, multimedia,
education, and business and financial
services.
2. Diversifying the local economy to reduce
dependence on the service, retail, and
government sectors.
3. Building on the success of the tourism,
manufacturing, business, and financial
services sectors through marketing and job
training programs that will ensure retention
and attraction of these enterprises.
Public Review Draft 2005 Ventura General Plan
May 2005 2- 1
C H A P T E R 2
The Ventura Vision calls for targeting industries
that demonstrate the greatest promise for long-term
community prosperity by:
4. Finding appropriate locations for commercial
and industrial land, including through
revitalization opportunities in the Westside
and Downtown and possibly via annexations
of sites in the North Ventura Avenue and 101
Business Corridor areas.
• Providing high- wage, high skilled jobs,
• Possessing a local competitive advantage
in the global economy,
5. Expanding the retail base, because sales tax
represents a major City revenue source.
• Being committed to local responsibility,
• Growing from local ownership, control or
management,
6. Providing housing for the full range of
workforce households at all income levels.
• Practicing environmental leadership in
their markets, and
• Strengthening the community’s creative,
7. Providing adequate infrastructure and cultural identity.
financing resources.
The Vision also offers principles for the City to
pursue in charting future strategies for economic
development:
Meeting all of these challenges in an integrated,
strategic manner will be necessary to achieve
long- term economic stability and success. The
City must endeavor to identify the businesses
most likely to remain and grow in an area that has
very high costs – especially for housing – but also
has outstanding community amenities, including
good weather, a spectacular natural setting, and
a safe and desirable community fabric.
• Encourage a broad range of high- quality
employment and entrepreneurial
opportunities.
• Encourage private economic prosperity
that can support public services and
• qDueavleitlyo- po fa- l ivfeit aalm, pernoistipeesr. ous, and stable
economy while maintaining a “ small- town”
flavor.
• Encourage the public and private sectors
to work together to achieve prosperity.
• Participate constructively in regional
economic development efforts.
2005 Ventura General Plan Public Review Draft
2 - 2 May 2005
O U R P R O S P E R O U S C O M M U N I T Y
Implementing these strategies will not be simple
or easy. For one reason, California’s current tax
system contains provisions that result in some of
the lowest- paying economic sectors providing the
city with the most tax revenue, and vice versa.
Pillars for Prosperity
Community prosperity is not something that a city
government can create by itself. Any successful
economic development effort requires the
participation of many partners, including
community- based business organizations,
educational and training institutions, venture
capitalists, individual entrepreneurs and business
owners, networks of suppliers, and other
government agencies that have a mission to
enhance prosperity.
Together, the City and its economic partners
must ensure that the building blocks for
community prosperity are in place. These
foundations include organizations and institutions
that can coordinate local economic development
efforts, as well as land and other economic
infrastructure required to make Ventura an
attractive business location.
This organizational infrastructure is evolving in
Ventura. Business groups such as the Chamber
of Commerce and the Ventura County Economic
Development Association ( a countywide group)
are already active, but a wider network is needed
to assemble the resources and capacity of
entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, educators, and
other stakeholders in building a healthy business
climate. Greater synergy is needed among the
area’s higher education institutions – including
California State University Channel Islands,
Ventura College, Brooks Institute, and satellite
campuses of other colleges and universities.
Appropriate and sufficient land will also be
necessary to ensure continued economic
prosperity over the next 20 years, even as we
seek to protect open space and combat sprawl.
Demand for land to support retail and office
development is likely to outstrip current supply
unless allowable building intensities are
significantly increased. While some increased
density is likely, and some older industrial land
may be recycled for new business uses, the City
must take care to reserve sufficient land for these
purposes – especially in an environment where
short- term pressure is likely to encourage
conversion of land to commuter housing.
Thus, the strategy for community prosperity must
be coordinated with area- specific planning efforts,
especially on the Westside ( where industrial land
is likely to be recycled), Downtown ( which must
stress office, studio, and retail business growth as
well as an emerging residential component), and
in the 101 Corridor between Mills Road and
Johnson Drive ( where most of the city’s business
activity now takes place). The policies and
actions in this chapter attempt to provide the
means to support these targeted efforts to
achieve a stable and balanced economic base.
Public Review Draft 2005 Ventura General Plan
May 2005 2- 3
C H A P T E R 2
Policy 2A: Establish a clear economic
strategy.
Action 2.8: Carry out Housing Element programs
that provide housing to all segments of the local
workforce.
Action 2.1: Track economic indicators for
changes that may affect City land resources, tax
base, or employment base, such as terms and
conditions of sale or lease of available office,
retail, and manufacturing space.
Action 2.9: Expedite review for childcare facilities
that will provide support to local employees.
Policy 2C: Encourage niche industries.
Action 2.10: Expedite review of the entitlement
process for installation of infrastructure necessary
to support high technology and multimedia
companies.
Action 2.2: Prepare an economic base analysis
that identifies opportunities to capture retail sales
in sectors where resident purchasing has leaked
to other jurisdictions.
Action 2.11: Allow mixed- use development in
Action 2.3: Prepare an action plan to implement commercial and industrial districts as appropriate.
City economic goals and objectives.
Action 2.12: Allow uses such as conference
centers with resort amenities on appropriately
sized and located parcels.
Policy 2B: Make the local economic
climate more supportive of businesses
investment. Action 2.13: Market the city to businesses that link
agriculture with high technology, such as
biotechnology enterprises.
Action 2.4: Map priority locations for commercial
and industrial development and revitalization,
including a range of parcel sizes targeted for high-technology,
non- durables manufacturing, finance,
business services, tourism, and retail uses.
Action 2.14: Partner with local farms to promote
farmers markets and high quality locally grown
Action 2.5: Share economic and demographic food.
information with organizations that may refer
businesses to Ventura.
Action 2.6: Encourage intensification and
diversification of uses and properties in
commercial and industrial areas including
districts, corridors, and neighborhood centers.
Action 2.7: Partner with local commerce groups to
recruit companies and pursue funding for
business development and land re- utilization.
2005 Ventura General Plan Public Review Draft
2 - 4 May 2005
O U R P R O S P E R O U S C O M M U N I T Y
Public Review Draft 2005 Ventura General Plan
May 2005 2- 5
Action 2.18: Prioritize uses within the Harbor
master plan area as follows: ( 1) commercial
visitor- serving, ( 2) recreation, boating, fishing, ( 3)
commercial fishing, and ( 4) public service
facilities.
Action 2.17: Partner with the Harbor District and
National Park Service to promote Channel
Islands tours and develop an aquarium.
Action 2.15: Provide incentives for use of
waterfront parcels for recreation, visitor- serving
commerce, restaurant, marina, and fishing uses.
Action 2.16: Pursue year- round commercial use
of the fairgrounds.
Action 2.19: Partner with hotels and the Chamber
of Commerce to promote city golf courses.
Policy 2D: Expand tourism opportunities.
ventura’s general plan
CITY OF
O U R W E L L P L A N N E D COMMUNIT Y
“ Communities should be designed to serve the
cycle of the day and the cycle of the lifetime.”
— Andres Duany
O U R W E L L P L A N N E D A N D D E S I G N E D C O M M U N I T Y
3. OUR WELL PLANNED & DESIGNED
COMMUNITY " Smart growth is about being
good stewards of our
communities and of our rural
lands, parks, and forests. It is
about ensuring that the best of
the past is preserved, while
creating new communities that
are attractive, vital, and
enduring."
-- Michael Leavitt, EPA Administrator
1. Mix land uses
2. Take advantage of compact building design
3. Create a range of housing opportunities and
choices
Our goal is to protect our hillsides, farmlands and
open spaces; enhance Ventura’s historic and
cultural resources; respect our diverse
neighborhoods; reinvest in older areas of our
community; and make great places by insisting
on the highest standards of quality in architecture,
landscaping and urban design.
4. Create walkable communities
5. Foster distinctive, attractive communities with
a strong sense of place
6. Preserve open space, farmland, natural
beauty, and critical environmental areas
7. Strengthen and direct development toward
existing communities
Our City
8. Provide a variety of transportation choices
9. Make development decisions predictable, fair,
and cost effective
Ventura is a unique coastal community, proud of
our heritage and dedicated to being a national
model for effectively managing growth to protect
our natural environment and continue to be a
great place for us to live.
10. Encourage community and stakeholder
collaboration in development decisions
Source: U. S. Environmental Protection Agency
It is our public responsibility to plan and shape
the physical realm to achieve these goals. Past
policies, particularly the 1989 Comprehensive
Plan, reined in rapid outward suburban sprawl.
The 1992 Downtown Specific Plan set the
direction for revitalization of the historic heart of
our community. Voter- approved measures
clearly underscored a mandate to protect
agricultural resources and open space,
particularly in our hillsides.
Infill First
Ventura today is the product of decades of earlier
growth and development. These fundamental
patterns have largely established our community
character for decades to come. Still, the city
contains a variety of vacant and underutilized
sites that are prime locations for reinvestment
that can enhance the character of their
surroundings. It is the clear desire of the
community that before the city expands any
further, first priority for achieving our planning
goals should go to already urbanized areas of the
city to avoid paving over farmland and sensitive
areas in our hillsides and along our rivers.
Guided by the Ventura Vision of 2000, the
centerpiece for this General Plan is creating a
“ well- planned and designed community.” The
policies build on the foundation of the past. This
plan also represents an historic commitment to
smart growth:
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May 2005 3- 1
C H A P T E R 3
The wide range of building forms in Ventura
offers great potential for compatible infill and
viable mixed- use projects in existing
neighborhoods, districts and corridors. The
wealth of building types includes attached and
detached housing, duplexes, courtyard
bungalows, second units ( often over garages),
lofts ( some live- work), urban villas, neighborhood
shopfronts, concentrated retail developments,
and civic buildings. Public buildings retain special
importance by serving as prominent landmarks
that shape the visual character of the city.
Streetscapes set the tone for quality of life in
Ventura by providing the shared outdoor living
space of the community. Although the city’s
distinct neighborhoods, commercial and industrial
districts, and agricultural areas are linked by
corridors that have evolved primarily to
accommodate motor vehicles, opportunities
abound to make those streets more livable and to
focus activities in neighborhood centers that
emphasize walking, biking, and public gathering,
and thereby ease traffic and reinforce community
vitality. Accordingly, new development needs to
be high quality, compact, and walkable, and it
should incorporate design diversity that increases
lifestyle choices and bolsters commerce and
industry.
Determining which building types are most
appropriate in specific locations requires shifting
away from conventional zoning that emphasizes
use toward a form- based approach that prioritizes
function, appearance, and compatibility with
surrounding context. A powerful tool for
understanding this context is the transect, which
depicts the continuum from rural to urban
conditions ( see Figure 3- 1). Applying the transect
zones to the broad Planning Designations of the
General Plan Diagram can produce finer- grained
form- based coding that accommodates the range
of lifestyles in Ventura – from the rural farm to the
sub- urban house and yard to the urban core with
apartments above shops – and contributes to the
identity and character desired by the community.
“ A transect is a geographical cross- section of a
region used to reveal a sequence of
environments. For human environments, this
cross- section can be used to identify a set of
habitats that vary be their level and intensity of
urban character, a continuum that ranges from
rural to urban. In transect planning, this range of
environments is the basis for organizing the
components of the built world: building, lot, land
use, street, and all of the other physical
elements of the human habitat.”
-- SmartCode, Volume 6.5, 2005
2005 Ventura General Plan Public Review Draft
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Figure 3- 1. The Transect
Transect: a system of ordering human habitats in a range from the most natural to the most urban. For convenience, the Transect is divided into six
zones which describe the physical character of place at any scale, according to the intensity of land use and urbanism. The T- Zones are T1 Natural, T2
Rural, T3 Sub- Urban, T4 General Urban, T5 Urban Center, and T6 Urban Core.
Natural Zone ( T1): consists of lands approximating or reverting to a wilderness condition, includes lands unsuitable for settlement due to topography,
hydrology, or vegetation.
Rural Zone ( T2): consists of lands in open or cultivated state or sparsely settled. These may include woodlands, agricultural lands, grasslands and
irrigable deserts.
Sub- Urban Zone ( T3): though similar in density to conventional suburban residential areas, differs by its superior connectivity and by allowing home
occupations. It is typically adjacent to other urban T- zones. This zone is naturalistic in its planting. Blocks may be large and the roads irregular to
accommodate site conditions.
General Urban ( T4): has a denser and primary residential urban fabric. Mixed- use is usually confined to certain corner locations. This zone has a wide
range of building types: singles, side yard and rowhouses. Setbacks and street tree settings are variable.
Urban Center ( T5): is the equivalent of the main street area. This zone includes mixed- use building types that accommodate retail, offices and dwellings,
including rowhouses and apartments. This zone is a tight network of streets and blocks with wide sidewalks, steady street tree planting and buildings set
close to the frontages.
Urban Core ( T6): is the equivalent of a downtown. It contains the densest urbanism – the tallest buildings and the greatest variety of uses, particularly
unique ones such as financial districts and important civic buildings. This zone is the least naturalistic of all the zones; street trees are formally arranged or
non- existent.
Source: Duany, Plater Zyberk & Company’s SmartCode, Volume 6.5, Spring 2005
Public Review Draft Ventura General Plan
May 2005 3- 3
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Building on the Basic Block
Like any great city, Ventura has grown around the
basic unit of the neighborhood. A true
neighborhood is not a subdivision of similar
houses disconnected from surrounding places.
Instead it is an identifiable area with a pedestrian-friendly
mix of uses and a palette of housing
types for people in all stages of their lives.
Neighborhoods are often defined by a quarter-mile
“ pedestrian shed” ( see Figure 3- 2), in which
most residents’ daily needs can be met within a
five- minute walk. The organic nature of
neighborhoods and their interdependency is what
makes them viable for generations.
Neighborhoods are not static places that resist
change, but rather evolve naturally through
periods of transformation to accommodate new
residents’ needs and desires.
Most of Ventura’s neighborhoods have centers
established around parks, community gathering
places, or civic buildings, and contain or are near
services they share with surrounding areas, such
as schools, libraries, post offices, and specialty
shopping. Shifting to development control that
prioritizes form can protect and enhance those
neighborhoods that contribute to the urban fabric,
and with some attention to traffic calming, all of
Ventura’s neighborhoods can become pedestrian
friendly places.
Ventura also has residential subdivisions and
commercial and industrial districts that could
evolve into true neighborhoods. A long- term
strategy should be developed to gradually
transform these areas that do not yet follow the
neighborhood pattern. Existing subdivisions
could be linked by pedestrian routes to new
small- scale retail and service centers. Congested
commercial areas could be redesigned as mixed-use
centers on a grid of streets with walkable
blocks that connect with surrounding
neighborhoods and central plazas. These streets
could be lined with buildings containing upper
level housing and lower level commercial, office,
and civic spaces that hide internal parking
structures. Industrial sites that are fast converting
to light industry, high tech manufacturing, and
assembly could become factory villages with
green space, multiple types of housing, small-scale
retail to serve workers, and spin- off
businesses.
The policies and actions in this chapter seek to
enrich Ventura’s urban fabric through appropriate
design that showcases the attractive features of
neighborhoods, corridors, and districts. To
promote high- quality infill, the policies and actions
encourage neighborhood centers, pedestrian
access, established and desirable building types,
and dynamic, neighborhood- serving nodes of
mixed- use development along primary streets
and corridors. This chapter specifically calls for
detailed attention to community design through a
form- based approach.
“ In a neighborhood, everything that is needed
is there and everything that is there is
needed.”
- Anonymous
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May 2005 3- 5
C H A P T E R 3
Planning Designations
• Industry – ( T2 Rural through T6 Urban
Core) encourages intensive
manufacturing, processing, warehousing
and similar uses, as well as light, clean
industries and support offices; also
encourages limited workplace- serving
retail functions and work- live residences
where such secondary functions would
complement and be compatible with
industrial uses. Primarily large- scale
buildings.
Land in the Planning Area is divided into eight basic Planning
Designations on the General Plan Diagram. Although each
acknowledges a particular predominant development form, they
all encompass a variety of building types and functions. Specific
uses and building design will be prescribed by a new
Development Code ( which will govern “ building intensity,” the
amount of developable floor area based on allowed site
coverage and building height). The following descriptions of the
Planning Designations include a parenthetical reference to the
transect zones they encompass:
• Neighborhood Low – ( T3 Sub- Urban and T4 General
Urban) emphasizes detached houses with some
attached units in a small mix of building types at
approximately 8 dwelling units per acre. Predominantly
residential.
• Public and Institutional – ( T1 Preserve
through T6 Urban Core) accommodates
civic functions such as government
offices, hospitals, libraries, and schools.
• Neighborhood Medium – ( T5 Urban Center and T4
General Urban) anticipates a mixture of detached and
attached dwellings and higher building types at
approximately 9 to 20 dwelling units per acre.
Predominantly residential with small scale commercial at
key locations, primarily at intersections and adjacent to
corridors.
• Agriculture – ( T2 Rural) predominantly
commercial cultivation of food and plants
and raising of animals.
Pursuant to SOAR: The Agricultural use ( not to be
considered until after the Year 2030) category identifies
those lands that are designated for agricultural use on the
General Plan Diagram. The target date of 2030
associated with the Agricultural Use designation indicates
a review date after which agriculturally designated lands
may be reconsidered for urban uses. However, during the
life of this Plan as amended by initiative, it is intended that
only agricultural uses are permitted on these lands, except
as such lands may be appropriate to public open space
and recreational usage. Furthermore, any updates to this
Plan are not intended to imply that development would
necessarily be appropriate at that time.
• Neighborhood High – ( T4 General Urban through T6
Urban Core) accommodates a broader mix of building
types, primarily attached, at up to 54 dwelling units per
acre; A mix of residential, commercial, office, and
entertainment that includes mixed- use buildings.
• Commerce – ( T4 General Urban through T6 Urban Core,
Neighborhood Center Downtown, Regional Center, Town
Center or Village Center) encourages a wide range of
building types of anywhere from two to six stories that
house a mix of functions, including commercial,
entertainment, office and housing.
• Parks and Open Space – ( T1 Preserve
through T6 Urban Core) dedicates land to
public recreation and leisure and visual
resources.
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The General Plan Diagram also depicts the
Downtown Specific Plan area and the Harbor
master plan area, which are subject to detailed
standards for form and use. In addition, the
Diagram identifies neighborhood centers – where
the development of housing alongside
commercial uses is specifically encouraged – and
the distinct corridors and districts throughout the
city ( See Figure 3- 3 Infill Opportunities).
Corridors and Districts
One of the primary objectives for infill in Ventura
is to produce mixed- use development that places
everyday requirements in close proximity to
dwellings. This may include encouraging “ flex
space” where a single building functions as both
living and working area for the owner, combining
housing and commercial uses in the same
structures, or integrating small- scale retail,
service, and entertainment sensitively within
walking distance of residential areas. Mixed- use
places inherently reduce automobile trips and
increase pedestrian experiences, resulting in
safer neighborhoods and healthier citizens. The
city’s corridors and districts already encompass
significant mixed- use development, and
opportunities exist to augment those areas in
ways that complement and enhance existing
urban form and streetscapes.
Corridors
Corridors often form boundaries, as well as
connections, between neighborhoods and/ or
districts. Corridors frequently encompass major
access routes, especially ones with commercial
destinations. Corridors also can incorporate parks
or natural features such as streams or canyons.
The following corridors are depicted on the
General Plan Diagram:
A. Ventura Avenue – a mix of older, small-scale
commercial, industrial, and
residential uses.
B. Main Street – currently a commerce-oriented
area with a limited amount of
mixed use development.
C. Thompson Boulevard – a commercial
thoroughfare in need of streetscape
improvements and pedestrian
amenities.
D. Loma Vista Road – a mix of commercial
and residential development at varying
scales, with a high concentration of
medical facilities.
E. Telegraph Road – a sub- urban- scale
commercial area with some detached
homes and multifamily buildings. The
City’s bus transfer station is located
along this corridor.
F. Victoria Avenue – a wide artery with
high traffic volumes and shopping
centers.
G. Johnson Drive – a connector between
eastern Ventura and Highway 101 with
sub- urban scale retail.
H. Wells Road – a mix of older industrial
uses and newer sub- urban commercial
and residential development.
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May 2005 3- 7
C H A P T E R 3
Districts
Districts consist of streets or areas emphasizing
specific types of activities. A neighborhood or
parts of neighborhoods can form a district. A
corridor may also be a district, such as when a
major shopping avenue runs between adjoining
neighborhoods. The following districts are
depicted on the General Plan Diagram:
7. North Bank – a combination of automobile
retail, regulated by the Auto Center Specific
Plan, and industrial/ business park uses.
1. Upper North Avenue – home to a mix of
industrial uses, including an abandoned oil
refinery and Brooks Institute.
8. Montalvo – an area of industrial and heavier
commercial uses, and currently home to the
Metrolink Station.
2. North Avenue – an area with oilfield,
industrial, and residential development.
3. Downtown – the most intensely developed
area of the city and its urban core. The
Downtown Specific Plan regulates this area.
9. Saticoy – a mix of homes, older industrial
and agricultural operations, and the planned
site for the County maintenance yard. The
Saticoy Specific Plan governs a portion of
this area.
4. Pacific View Mall – an enclosed shopping
center and adjacent commercial uses.
5. Harbor – an area with visitor serving uses
and marine facilities to be regulated by a
Harbor master plan.
6. Arundell – an industrial center with a mix of
small- scale industrial uses, business park
development, and limited retail services.
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Agricultural Lands
A primary agricultural concern is the potential
conflict with adjacent urban uses over pesticides,
dust, odors, noise, and the visual impact of large
greenhouses. Other issues of importance to
agricultural producers include restrictions on
farm- related activities, access to water, and
provision of farmworker housing. Paralleling
these concerns is a community interest in
sustainability, the ability to provide for the needs
of future generations. The policies and actions in
this chapter intend to sustain viable farm
operations in areas designated for agricultural
use.
During the 20th Century, the value of agricultural
land in Ventura became secondary to that for
development. However, this pattern is not
irreversible, and protecting green land to save the
aesthetic beauty of open space, preserve the
cultural landscape of the community’s heritage,
and conserve land for environmental quality are
high priorities in Ventura. In fact, the land’s
historic role for food production may soon be
more highly valued once again, as prime
agricultural areas continue to disappear to
development at an astounding rate.
Subsequent to the
adoption of the SOAR
initiative, there have been
two general plan
amendments, which
redesignated individual
agricultural properties
through a vote of the
electorate as required by
SOAR. These remain in
full legal effect and have
been carried forward into
this Plan. These include
the new Community Park
at Kimball Road and the
southeast corner of
Montgomery and Bristol
( see Appendix E and F).
Ventura is fortunate to retain much of its rural
landscape. Agriculture still plays an important
role in the economy of the city and county.
Significant yields are made possible by the
presence of high quality soils, adequate water
supply, favorable climate, long growing season,
and level topography. Mechanisms such as the
California Land Conservation Act, the Save Our
Agricultural Resources ( SOAR) initiative ( see
Appendix C), and greenbelt agreements with
neighboring jurisdictions continue to help
maintain a balance between urban growth and
agricultural preservation. The SOAR initiative that
was adopted by the voters in 1995, and that, by
its own terms, remains in full legal effect until
2030, refers to specific policies from the 1989
Comprehensive Plan that are still in effect and, as
such, have been carried forward into this Plan
under Policy 3D and Action 3.14.
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May 2005 3- 9
C H A P T E R 3
Growth Management
Growth management seeks to preserve public
good, improve social equity, and minimize
adverse impacts of development while still
accommodating new housing and business
attraction. The effects of growth management
policies on housing prices are complex due to the
idiosyncrasies of local real estate markets.
Properly designed growth management programs
plan for all development needs, such as open
space, access to public transportation, and
walkable neighborhoods.
planning goals through infill may need to be
supplemented at some point by expanding into
areas outside the city limits. Such expansion
may not only be necessary to fulfill development
objectives; it also may be needed to provide open
space, parklands, and natural areas to be
preserved and restored. To address this, citizens
discussed which areas, if any, should be possible
expansion areas. These areas were identified
because they embody opportunities for achieving
a variety of community vision objectives that may
not be feasible within existing city limits. The
community further went on to agree upon a set of
rules about how these areas should be planned.
These areas have been analyzed as part of the
preparation of this Plan. Should any areas be
selected for future planning, a specific plan, a
public vote, and an amendment with the
regulatory planning framework would have to
occur.
The City’s Residential Growth Management
Program ( originally established in 1979 to ensure
that housing development would not outpace
needed infrastructure) has not always contributed
to housing affordability or quality design. Part of
the reason is that Ventura is only one component
of a complex regional housing and economic
system that requires cooperative solutions among
cities and counties. However, the City can
improve conditions in Ventura by adopting form-based
regulations that require appropriate and
adequate housing, employment centers, and
transportation connections. Sufficient land must
be made available for these uses and relatively
high residential density and non- residential
intensity and compact development form must be
required.
The policies and actions in this chapter call for
measured and appropriate growth in Ventura by
prioritizing areas appropriate for additional
development based on community values and
infrastructure potential.
Indeed, the community has indicated that before
the city expands any further, the first priority for
achieving planning goals should be in the vacant
and underutilized areas of the city. Yet, even the
most successful effort to achieve community
2005 Ventura General Plan Public Review Draft
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Policy 3A: Sustain and complement cherished
community characteristics.
Action 3.1: Preserve the stock of existing homes
by carrying out Housing Element programs.
Action 3.2: Enhance the appearance of districts,
corridors, and gateways ( including views from
highways) through controls on building
placement, design elements, and signage.
Action 3.3: Require preservation of public view
sheds and solar access.
Action: 3.4 Require all shoreline development
( including anti- erosion or other protective
structures) to provide public access to and along
the coast, unless it would duplicate adequate
access existing nearby, adversely affect
agriculture, or be inconsistent with public safety,
military security, or protection of fragile coastal
resources.
Action 3.5: Establish land development incentives
to upgrade the appearance of poorly maintained
or otherwise unattractive sites, and enforce
existing land maintenance regulations.
Policy 3B: Integrate uses in building forms
that increase choice and encourage
community vitality.
Action 3.6: Adopt new development code
provisions that designate neighborhood centers
for a mixture of residences and small- scale, local-serving
businesses.
Action 3.7: Adopt new development code
provisions that designate commerce districts and
corridors for mixed- use development that
combines businesses with housing.
Action 3.8: Allow intensification of commercial
areas through conversion of surface parking to
building area.
Action 3.9: Expand the downtown redevelopment
area to include parcels around future transit areas
and along freeway frontage.
Policy 3C: Maximize use of land in the city
before considering expansion.
Action 3.10: Utilize infill, to the extent possible,
development to accommodate the targeted
number and type of housing units described in the
Housing Element.
Action 3.11: Adopt new development code
provisions that ensure compliance with Housing
Element objectives.
Action 3.12: Renew and modify greenbelt
agreements as necessary to direct development
to already urbanized areas.
Action 3.13: Continue to support the Guidelines
for Orderly Development as a means of
implementing the General Plan, and encourage
adherence to these Guidelines by all the cities,
the County of Ventura, and the Local Agency
Formation Commission ( LAFCO); and work with
other nearby cities and agencies to avoid urban
sprawl and preserve the rural character in areas
outside the urban edge.
Public Review Draft Ventura General Plan
May 2005 3 - 11
C H A P T E R 3
Policy 3D: Continue to preserve agricultural
and other open space lands within the City’s
Planning Area.
Action 3.14: Pursuant to SOAR, adopt
development code provisions to “ preserve
agricultural and open space lands as a desirable
means of shaping the City’s internal and external
form and size, and of serving the needs of the
residents.”
Action 3.15: Adopt use permit standards for non-farm
activities in agricultural areas that protect and
support farm operations, including requiring non-farm
uses to provide all necessary buffers.
Action 3.16: Offer incentives for agricultural
production operations to develop systems of raw
product and product processing locally.
Policy 3E: Ensure the appropriateness of
urban form through modified development
review.
Action 3.17: Develop and adopt a form- based
Development Code that emphasizes pedestrian
orientation, integration of land uses, treatment of
streetscapes as community living space, and
environmentally sensitive building design and
operation.
Action 3.18: Revise the Residential Growth
Management Program ( RGMP) with an integrated
set of growth management tools including:
• area plans and regulating codes based on
availability of infrastructure and transit that
regulate community form and character by
directing new residential development to
appropriate locations and in ways that
integrate with and enhance existing
neighborhoods, districts and corridors;
• appropriate mechanisms to ensure that
new residential development produces
high- quality designs and a range of
housing types across all income levels;
and,
• numeric limitations linked to the
implementation of area plans and
regulating codes and the availability of
appropriate infrastructure and resources;
within those limitations, the RGMP should
provide greater flexibility for timing new
residential development.
Action 3.19: Establish first priority growth areas
to include the districts, corridors, and
neighborhood centers as identified on the
General Plan Diagram; and second priority areas
to include vacant undeveloped land when a
community plan has been prepared for such
( within the City limits).
Action 3.20: Establish and administer a system
for the gradual growth of the City through
identification of areas set aside for long- term
preservation, for controlled growth, and for
encouraged growth.
Action 3.21: Require the use of techniques such
as digital simulation and modeling to assist in
project review.
2005 Ventura General Plan Public Review Draft
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V e n t u r a R i v e r
S a n t a C l a r a R i v e r
Figure 3- 3
This map is a product of the City of San Buenaventura, California. Although reasonable efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of this map, the City of San Buenaventura cannot guarantee its accuracy.
SOURCE: City of Ventura
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CITY OF
O U R A C C E S S I B L E C O M M U N I T Y
DONNA GRANATA
DONNA GRANATA
“ Restore human legs as a means of travel.
Pedestrians rely on food for fuel and need no
special parking facilities.”
— Lewis Mumford
O U R A C C E S S I B L E C O M M U N I T Y
4. OUR ACCESSIBLE COMMUNITY
Thoroughfares are essentially the stage of
public life where a diversity of citizens interact.
They can create places of remembrance,
chance encounters, and discovery. Ensuring
that Ventura thoroughfares are great places
requires improving design and quality as well as
connectivity. In some cases, city thoroughfares
are over- engineered to accommodate the
worst- case scenario.
Our goal is to reduce traffic by strengthening
bicycle, pedestrian and transit connections in
the City and surrounding region.
An Integrated Mobility System
Central to the well- being of Ventura’s citizens
and visitors is mobility, the ability to get from
one place to another. Mobility depends on the
range, efficiency, and connectivity of the
various components that comprise the
transportation network – sidewalks, bicycle
routes, and thoroughfares, as well as transit
services – and that enable people to access the
things they need, from the most basic to the
extraordinary ( See Figures 4- 1 Bicycle
Facilities, 4- 2 Bus and Rail Routes, and 4- 3
Roadway Classification Plan). Ventura is a
community that recognizes that thoroughfares
serve a variety of functions and are not simply
conduits for automobile traffic.
Slowing down automobiles, especially in
residential neighborhoods, is a desire shared by
many residents. Vehicle travel should be
directed toward routes that minimize
congestion, avoid conflicts with walkers and
bicyclists, and keep residential neighborhoods
free of excessive cut- through traffic.
Additionally, in some areas of the city, suburban
patterns have resulted in less connectivity than
is desired by the community.
Traffic congestion is a major concern among
Ventura residents. Although traffic on local
roads is generally free- flowing, a few key
intersections and road segments experience
congestion during peak traffic hours. Simply
widening roads to add lanes will not solve traffic
congestion. Instead, the system needs
integrated solutions that improve mobility for all
means of travel. While walking, biking, and
transit use are already popular, these
alternative modes need to be enhanced and
better linked. For example, bus and rail
systems serve Ventura, but not thoroughly
Balancing automobile use with other means of
travel is essential to maintaining social and
physical health. Safe and enjoyable routes for
pedestrians and bicyclists should connect every
part of the city, and neighborhoods need to be
linked by ample and convenient transit service
along corridors. Ventura also must be
connected to the larger region by a variety of
transportation modes.
Thoroughfares have a tremendous effect on
neighborhood character and therefore quality of
life for both residents and visitors.
Public Review Draft 2005 Ventura General Plan
May 2005
4- 1
C H A P T E R 4
The essential qualities of a
properly functioning mobility
system are:
1. Well connected,
interesting components
2. Convenient accessibility
3. Integrated linkage of all
modes
4. Comfort and safety
5. Design reflecting natural
and urban context
enough to provide a reasonable alternative to
auto use for most travelers. And while
pedestrian access exists in most areas of
Ventura, the network lacks continuous routes in
some key locations.
As expressed in the Ventura Vision, a top
community priority is to minimize automobile
use through a fully integrated multi- modal
transportation system. The policies and actions
in this chapter aim to achieve this objective.
2005 Ventura General Plan Public Review Draft
4- 2 May 2005
O U R A C C E S S I B L E C O M M U N I T Y
Travel Modes
Walking
Sidewalks are arguably the most important
component of the city's mobility system. As
with circulation in general, the utility of
pedestrian systems is inextricably linked to land
use patterns. Combined with urban design
elements, land use patterns influence how
much walking can safely and effectively occur
in the community. Circulation systems that are
designed with pedestrians in mind tend to
increase outdoor activity and community
interaction, while those oriented toward motor
vehicles tend to create disincentives to walking.
Ventura's pedestrian system consists of
sidewalks, access ramps, crosswalks, linear
park paths, and overpasses and tunnels.
Special corridors such as the Beachfront
Promenade, California Plaza, and Figueroa
Plaza have been designated especially for
pedestrians. The pedestrian system also
includes neighborhood and park path systems,
and dedicated trail facilities that are shared with
bicyclists and other users.
Pedestrian paths need to be interesting,
enjoyable, and lead to a destination, from the
most simple – such as a pocket park – to more
grand points of arrival, such as major civic
spaces. Creating a network of paths that
connect key features such as parks, schools,
civic facilities, shops, and services is vital to the
success of reducing dependence on the
automobile. Those most in need of pedestrian
access include children, teenagers, and the
elderly, as well as those who cannot afford a
car or choose not to drive.
The main deficiency of Ventura’s pedestrian
system is its discontinuity. Some sections of
thoroughfares lack sidewalks, and pedestrian
connections between some key use areas are
in need of repair. Crosswalks are prohibited
along some corridors, and pedestrian signal
phases are not always long enough for all
walkers. Traffic- calming measures also are
needed to improve walkability in many
neighborhoods. Citizens have placed a high
emphasis on improving the pedestrian network,
recommending specific improvements such as:
• narrowing selected thoroughfare
segments,
• improving sidewalks and road crossings,
• lengthening pedestrian signal phases,
• adding marked crossings at key
intersections,
• developing safe and attractive walkways
from Downtown and Midtown to the
beach,
• ensuring that new development provides
ample pedestrian access,
• creating trails along watercourses and
through the hillsides, and
• improving pedestrian facilities near
schools.
Policies and actions in this chapter intend to
improve pedestrian access through this range
of methods.
Public Review Draft 2005 Ventura General Plan
May 2005
4- 3
C H A P T E R 4
Figure 4- 1 illustrates the three
State defined classes of bikeway
facilities:
• Bike Path ( Class I) – Class I
bike paths are separated from
roads by distance or barriers,
and cross- traffic by motor
vehicles is minimized.
• Bike Lane ( Class II) – Class II
bikeways are roadway lanes
reserved for bicycles. These
lanes are painted with
pavement lines and markings
and are signed.
• Bike Route ( Class III) – Class
III bike routes share existing
roads and provide continuity to
other bikeways or designated
preferred routes through high
traffic areas. There are no
separate lanes, and bike
routes are established by
placing signs that direct
cyclists and warn drivers of the
presence of bicyclists.
Biking
• constructing additional Class I or Class
II bikeways in a number of locations,
including along the Santa Clara River
and the coast to connect to the Ventura
River Trail,
Because bicycles are an integral component of
the city’s mobility system, they are allowed on
all city thoroughfares. The City has adopted a
General Bikeway Plan intended to create a
safe, accessible, and interconnected network of
bike paths, lanes, and routes that will ensure
Ventura becomes and remains a truly bicycle-friendly
community. The General Bikeway Plan
is a flexible, comprehensive, and long- range
guide for bicycle transportation and recreation
planning, design, and budget decision- making.
Accordingly, it is designed to:
• installing bicycle racks,
• updating bicycle facility standards to
ensure proper design and maintenance,
• constructing improvements to resolve
bicycle/ automobile conflicts,
• establishing a highly visible route
identification and signage program that
fits the character of the community, and
• refine and implement City bicycle-related
policies,
• mitigating impacts on bicyclists from
new development and during and
following construction of roadway
projects.
• establish bikeway design standards,
• enhance bicycle safety and education
programs,
• set priorities and phasing for
improvements and amenities depicted
on the Select System of Bikeways map,
and
Policies and actions in this chapter seek to
improve bicycle access and safety by carrying
out these recommendations.
• identify funding means and opportunities
for interagency cooperation.
The City places high emphasis on improving
the local bicycle network by following the
recommendations of the General Bikeway Plan,
which include:
• connecting schools, parks, activity
areas, housing areas, and employment
centers with bike paths and lanes,
particularly in areas without
thoroughfares,
2005 Ventura General Plan Public Review Draft
4- 4 May 2005
O U R A C C E S S I B L E C O M M U N I T Y
Public Transit – Bus & Rail Other transit system needs include:
Transit service in Ventura includes bus and rail
operations ( see Figure 4- 2). South Coast Area
Transit ( SCAT) provides local bus service,
Ventura Intercity Transit Authority ( VISTA) runs
regional routes, and Greyhound offers
statewide and national connections. Metrolink
provides rail service to and from Los Angeles –
although on a very limited schedule, while
Amtrak trains that stop in Ventura run between
San Luis Obispo and San Diego.
• reduced- emission vehicles,
• continued use of schedule
synchronization to accommodate route
transfers, and
• service to regional destinations such as
California State University Channel
Islands and airports.
Policies and actions in this Chapter aim to
improve transit efficiency, encourage
ridesharing, and preserve long- term transit
options.
Although local bus routes connect most activity
centers, the East End is not well served, and
more frequent service is needed to key
destinations such as the beach and downtown.
Metrolink and Amtrak need to be linked to each
other and accessed by local bus routes. An
agreement between the City and the Ventura
County Transportation Commission calls for
identifying a permanent Metrolink site, and the
best way to integrate all of these services is
with a major multi- modal transit center that also
accommodates potential additional future
alternative transportation modes.
SCAT buses are equipped with wheelchair lifts
and adjustable steps to ensure access for all
riders. SCAT also offers discounted fares for
seniors and disabled riders, as well as dial- a-ride
service. However, seniors and mobility-impaired
persons also desire frequent fixed-route
service in smaller vehicles, and all riders
need upgraded amenities at a number of stops.
Public Review Draft 2005 Ventura General Plan
May 2005
4- 5
C H A P T E R 4
The Automobile and Types of Roadways
The most basic component of the mobility
system is the thoroughfare, used not only by
people who drive, but also by people who ride
the bus, bike and walk. Thoroughfares
encompass sidewalks, bicycle lanes, travel
lanes, and are the most utilized means of travel
in Ventura. This system is organized into the
following classifications: local thoroughfares,
collectors, and arterials ( see Figure 4- 3,
Roadway Classification Plan – also known as
“ Circulation Plan”).
Local Thoroughfares
Local thoroughfares provide mobility within
neighborhoods and are generally not shown on
the Roadway Classification Plan. Local
thoroughfares include alleys, lanes, and “ yield”
streets.
Collectors
Collectors serve as links between local
thoroughfares. Collectors may front residential
and neighborhood- serving commercial uses.
Collectors can be configured as boulevards,
avenues, streets, and main streets.
Arterials
Arterials are the primary mechanism for cross-town
travel and serve the major centers of
activity. These roads typically carry a high
proportion of the total urban area travel.
Arterials can be configured as boulevards,
avenues, and streets.
2005 Ventura General Plan Public Review Draft
4- 6 May 2005
O U R A C C E S S I B L E C O M M U N I T Y
Collector and arterial thoroughfare segments in Avenue
the City are characterized in two ways that
describe their physical features: design
classification and functional classification.
Design Classification defines the number of
travel lanes using the following categories:
Primary Arterial ( 6 lanes or more), Secondary
Arterial ( 4 lanes), and Collector ( 2 lanes), as
shown on the Roadway Classification Plan,
Figure 4- 3. Functional Classification describes
how a thoroughfare is used: essentially as a
boulevard, avenue, street, or main street.
Avenues are typically multi- lane, short distance
connectors, with a painted median, used in both
residential and commercial areas, and often
terminate at prominent buildings or plazas.
Table 4- 1 Thoroughfare Sizes and Types
Street Sizes
( Engineering Design Classification)
Primary Arterial
( 6 or more lane
roadway)
Secondary Arterial
( 4 lane roadway)
Collector
( 2 lane roadway)
Existing
Future Widening
Future Extension
Thoroughfare Types
( Functional Classification)
Boulevard Boulevard Boulevard
Avenue Avenue Avenue
Street Street
Main Street
Source: Definitions for Design Classifications are the City’s modifications to the
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials ( AASHTO)
standards. Definitions for Functional Classifications are the City’s modifications to the
Traditional Neighborhood Development Street Design Guidelines.
Functional Classification also identifies whether
roadways have medians, parking, bike lanes,
and other streetscape attributes needed to
achieve objectives other than just moving
traffic, such as accommodating pedestrians,
bicycles, and adjoining land uses and public
spaces. Table 4- 1 shows the design and
functional classifications for thoroughfares in
the City.
Ventura is mainly connected by 2- lane and 4-
lane thoroughfares. The classification for each
type of road segment represents a balance
between vehicle capacity, pedestrian and
bicycle access, parking requirements,
streetscape character, and right- of- way
limitations.
Street
Boulevard Street typically allows two way travel and may
be multi- lane and does not have a central
median and generally provides access to
predominantly residential areas.
A multi- lane and generally urban corridor with a
central, planted median.
Public Review Draft 2005 Ventura General Plan
May 2005
4- 7
C H A P T E R 4
Main Street
Main streets have 2 vehicle lanes. Their main
purpose is to provide low- speed access to
commercial, mixed- uses, and higher density
neighborhoods.
Consistency between the design and functional
classifications is determined based on the
number of through lanes. Temporary
improvements, such as restriping to change the
number of lanes are allowed, however a
permanent improvement that moves the curbs
and changes the number of lanes would require
an amendment to this plan.
The Ventura Vision offers several key
recommendations to improve the city
thoroughfare system:
• add or enhance north- south arterials;
• consider an additional Santa Clara River
bridge, Portola Avenue overcrossing of
U. S. 101, and Johnson Drive
overcrossing of Route 126; and
• soften the barrier impact of U. S. 101 by
working with Caltrans to improve
signage, aesthetics, undercrossings,
and overcrossings.
Policies, actions, and the Roadway
Classification Plan work together to address
these recommendations. To improve the safety
and functioning of the thoroughfare network and
to maintain its compatibility with the character of
the community, the policies and actions in this
chapter also call for upgrading problem
thoroughfares and intersections, improving and
constructing freeway ramps, and connecting
unfinished roadways. Additional actions intend
to protect views from scenic routes, including
State- designated scenic highways.
2005 Ventura General Plan Public Review Draft
4- 8 May 2005
O U R A C C E S S I B L E C O M M U N I T Y
Action 4.8: Implement the City’s Neighborhood
Traffic Management Program and update as
necessary to improve livability in residential
areas.
Policy 4A: Ensure that the transportation
system is safe and easily accessible to all
travelers.
Action 4.1: Direct city transportation investment
to efforts that improve user safety and keep the
circulation system structurally sound and
adequately maintained.
Action 4.9: Identify, designate, and enforce
truck routes to minimize the impact of truck
traffic on residential neighborhoods.
Action 4.10: Modify traffic signal timing to
ensure safety and minimize delay for all users.
Action 4.2: Develop a prioritized list of projects
needed to improve safety for all travel modes
and provide needed connections and multiple
route options.
Action 4.11: Refine level of service standards to
encourage use of alternative modes of
transportation while meeting state and regional
mandates.
Action 4.3: Provide transportation services that
meet the special mobility needs of the
community including youth, elderly, and
disabled persons.
Action 4.12: Design roadway improvements and
facility modifications to minimize the potential
for conflict between pedestrians, bicycles, and
automobiles.
Action 4.4: Combine education with
enforcement to instill safe and courteous use of
the shared public roadway.
Policy 4B: Help reduce dependence on the
Action 4.5: Utilize existing roadways to meet automobile.
mobility needs, and only consider widening
roads when other alternatives are not feasible.
Action 4.13: Provide development incentives to
encourage projects that reduce automobile trips.
Action 4.6: Require new development to be
designed with interconnected transportation
modes and routes.
Action 4.14: Encourage the placement of
facilities that house or serve elderly, disabled,
or socioeconomically disadvantaged persons in
areas with existing public transportation
services and pedestrian and bicycle amenities.
Action 4.7: Update the traffic mitigation fee
program to fund necessary citywide circulation
system and mobility improvements needed in
conjunction with new development.
Public Review Draft 2005 Ventura General Plan
May 2005
4- 9
C H A P T E R 4
Action 4.22: Upgrade and add bicycle lanes
when conducting roadway maintenance as
feasible.
Action 4.15: Install roadway, transit, and
alternative transportation improvements along
existing or planned multi- modal corridors,
including primary bike and transit routes, and at
land use intensity nodes.
Action 4.23: Require sidewalks wide enough to
encourage walking that include ramps and
other features needed to ensure access for
mobility- impaired persons.
Action 4.16: Prepare and periodically update a
Mobility Plan that integrates a variety of travel
alternatives to minimize reliance on any single
mode.
Action 4: 24: Adopt new development code
provisions that require the construction of
sidewalks in all future projects.
Action 4.17: Promote the development and use
of recreational trails as transportation routes to
connect housing with services, entertainment,
and employment.
Action 4.25: Establish a parking management
program to protect the livability of residential
neighborhoods, as needed.
Action 4.18: Adopt new development code
provisions that establish vehicle trip reduction
requirements for all development.
Action 4.26: Extend stubbed- end streets
through future developments, where
appropriate, to provide necessary circulation
within a developing area and for adequate
internal circulation within and between
neighborhoods.
Action 4.19: Develop a transportation demand
management program to shift travel behavior
toward alternative modes and services.
Action 4.20: Require new development to
provide pedestrian and bicycle access and
facilities as appropriate, including connected
paths along the shoreline and watercourses.
Policy 4C: Increase transit efficiency and
options.
Action 4.27: Require all new development to
provide for citywide improvements to transit
stops that have sufficient quality and amenities,
including shelters and benches, to encourage
ridership.
Action 4.21: Update the General Bikeway Plan
as needed to encourage bicycle use as a viable
transportation alternative to the automobile and
include the bikeway plan as part of a new
Mobility Plan.
Action 4.28: Develop incentives to encourage
City employees and local employers to use
transit, rideshare, walk, or bike.
2005 Ventura General Plan Public Review Draft
4- 10 May 2005
O U R A C C E S S I B L E C O M M U N I T Y
Action 4.29: Work with public transit agencies to
provide information to riders at transit stops,
libraries, lodging, and event facilities.
• Figueroa Street
• Harbor Boulevard
• Main Street
• Navigator Drive
Action 4.30: Work with public and private transit
providers to enhance public transit service.
• North Bank Drive
• Poli Street/ Foothill Road
• Olivas Park Drive
Action 4.31: Coordinate with public transit
systems for the provision of additional routes as
demand and funding allow.
• Schooner Drive
• Spinnaker Drive
• Summit Drive
• Telegraph Road – east of Victoria
Avenue
Action 4.32: Work with Amtrak, Metrolink, and
Union Pacific to maximize efficiency of
passenger and freight rail service to the City
and to integrate and coordinate passenger rail
service with other transportation modes.
• Victoria Avenue – south of U. S. 101
• Wells Road
Action 4.35: Request that State Route 126 and
33, and U. S. HWY 101 be designated as State
Scenic Highways.
Action 4.33: Lobby for additional transportation
funding and changes to Federal, State, and
regional transportation policy that support local
decision- making.
Action 4.36: Continue to work with Caltrans to
soften the barrier impact of U. S. HWY 101 by
improving signage, aesthetics and
undercrossings and overcrossings.
Policy 4D: Protect views along scenic
routes.
Action 4.34: Require development along the
following roadways – including noise mitigation,
landscaping, and advertising – to respect and
preserve views of the community and its natural
context.
•• SUt. aSt. e H RWoYut e1 0313 • Anchors Way
• Brakey Road
• Fairgrounds Loop
• Ferro Drive
Public Review Draft 2005 Ventura General Plan
May 2005
4- 11
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V e n t u r a R i v e r
S a n t a C l a r a R i v e r
Bicycle Facilities
This map is a product of the City of San Buenaventura, California. Although reasonable efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of this map, the City of San Buenaventura cannot guarantee its accuracy.
P a c i f i c O c e a n
Class 1 Class 2 Figure 4- 1
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Class 3 Shoulder
PCliatyn nLiimngit sBoundary
Other
V e n t u r a R i v e r
S a n t a C l a r a R i v e r
Bus and Rail Routes
This map is a product of the City of San Buenaventura, California. Although reasonable efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of this map, the City of San Buenaventura cannot guarantee its accuracy.
P a c i f i c O c e a n
Figure 4- 2
SSVCICSAATTTA & VISTA
PCliatyn nLiimngit sBoundary
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RAIL
V e n t u r a R i v e r
S a n t a C l a r a R i v e r
Roadway Classification Plan
This map is a product of the City of San Buenaventura, California. Although reasonable efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of this map, the City of San Buenaventura cannot guarantee its accuracy.
Figure 4- 3
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Planning Boundary
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Functional Classifications BLVD BLVD BLVD
AVENUE AVENUE AVENUE
STREET STREET
MAIN STREET
Design Classifications
ventura’s general plan
CITY OF
OUR SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE
DONNA GRANATA
“ We do not inherit the world from our ancestors;
we borrow it from our children.”
— Chief Seattle, Native American Indian
O U R S U S T A I N A B L E I N F R A S T R U C T U R E
5. OUR SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE
The City’s mission is to:
Our goal is to safeguard public health, well- being
and prosperity by providing and maintaining
facilities that enable the community to live in
balance with natural systems.
Essential Support Systems
Infrastructure is an extremely important though
largely unnoticed foundation of quality of life in
Ventura. Efficient water supply, wastewater
treatment, and drainage systems are vital to most
daily activities. These facilities on which the
community depends need regular maintenance,
and they frequently require upgrading both to
meet the demands of a growing population and to
be sensitive to environmental resources.
To ensure that citizens get high- quality drinking
water, the City owns and operates a State-certified
laboratory where water quality is tested
continuously. Each City treatment plant is also
run by State- certified operators who monitor
water quality. As a result, City water exceeds
State and federal water quality requirements.
The City employs conservation measures and
emerging technology in its effort to achieve a high
standard for wastewater treatment while
protecting natural systems. As a result, treatment
capability historically has outpaced community
needs, with even peak flows typically reaching
only 75 percent of plant capacity. Even so,
further expanding the use of reclaimed water and
reducing water consumption will be vital to
maintaining long- term water supplies.
Much of the storm drain system is aging and in
need of repair or replacement, especially
corrugated metal pipes in some of the older areas
of Ventura. Collecting adequate fees that truly
reflect the cost of serving development can help
preclude additional deficiencies, and relying on
and complementing natural drainage features can
help avoid the need for expensive and
environmentally damaging channelization and
also improve the functioning of the overall
drainage system.
2005 Ventura General Plan
5- 1
Public Review Draft
May 2005
C H A P T E R 5
Largely as a result of conservation efforts, water
consumption per city resident has generally
declined ( see Table 5- 1). Policies and actions in
this chapter seek to refine demand management
practices and conservation programs to further
reduce per capita water use so that Ventura can
sustain water resources for many more
generations.
Water Supply
The City provides drinking water, and water for
fire protection, to households and businesses in
Ventura through a complex system with more
than 500 miles of distribution mains, 3 water
treatment plants, 22 booster pump stations, 25
treated water reservoirs, and 13 wells. Five
distinct sources provide surface and ground water
to the City supply system:
Table 5- 1 Water Production ( Acre Feet)
Year Estimated
Population
Per Capita
Use ( 1)
Total Water
Production
1980 73,497 0.236 22,147
1990 92,557 0.182 19,148
1995 99,100 0.166 18,030
1996 100,000 0.180 19,538
1997 100,600 0.179 19,831
1998 101,700 0.165 18,544
1999 102,700 0.191 20,724
2000 100,916 0.203 21,609
2001 101,925 0.175 18,928
Source: City of Ventura Urban Water Management
Plan, Dec. 2000
( 1) Per capita use excludes raw water and oil use.
• Casitas Municipal Water District
• Ventura River surface water intake,
sub