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Ventura County Civic Alliance February Livable Communities Newsletter

by Community Contributor • February 18, 2025 • Comments Off

Volume 20 / Number 73 / February 2025

Your Livable Communities Newsletter

For almost 20 years, the Ventura County Civic Alliance Livable Communities working group has been publishing its quarterly newsletter. These newsletters were grounded by the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA’s) 10 Principles for Livable Communities, and there were countless quarterly field-trips as we celebrated adherence to these principles and pointed out lost opportunities. Over time, we discovered that “livable communities” means more than the 10 AIA principles. In this edition of the newsletter, Kerry Roscoe has “dusted off” the role of the 10 principles to see how they can apply to current projects with strong NIMBY sentiments and the rising prices that have set new records across Ventura County.

Let us know what you think.

Stacy Roscoe

Over the last several years, numerous projects have been proposed across the county that have stirred controversy among nearby residents. There has been community resistance with lawsuits filed and pending. In assessing development projects, weighing the significant need for housing against laws, zoning regulations and codes for coastal development, design review and environmental issues presents challenges. We need to look at these proposals with an eye to what makes a community livable. Reviewing the American Institute of Architects’ ten principles for livable communities might give some perspective.

As part of the alternatives to “big box” development, AIA also recommends larger sidewalks to promote safe walkability, parking integrated within the block, and articulated spaces and appropriate landscape to define public spaces.

Applying The Principles

The projects below are in-fill projects where transportation options are already in place and the environmental considerations of preserving open space and protecting natural habitats are no longer in play. However, the basic concepts of livability can still be applied in assessing their value to the neighborhood.

Park Plaza Development, Ventura

The proposed 5-story, mixed-use housing development in downtown Ventura, corner adjacent to Plaza Park, consists of 80 units and 2,407 square feet of commercial space. Over 10% (9 units) of the units will be affordable: 6 low income restricted and 3 very low income restricted. There are also two market-rate live/work loft units. The building would replace a Spanish style single story with office space.

Given its compact nature, the choices in style and price point, the ground floor commercial space, and its function as an in-fill building, the project would appear to meet the first four of AIA’s principles. Transportation options are already available downtown. The residential lobby provides a gathering place of sorts for residents but isn’t a truly public space. The underground parking would preserve the pedestrian nature of the area, and the city has recommended wider sidewalks.

The principle of neighborhood identity is always tough. As an in-fill project it would not need to create that identity, but it should support the existing identity of the area. The design with varied setbacks from the street offers more architectural interest than the standard box building.

Also, at 67 feet tall, the project exceeds the Downtown Specific Plan’s height limit for that parcel’s zone. However, it is next to a tall (and unattractive) AT&T building, and the Tolman & Wiker Building down the block is the equivalent of 4 stories. However, the remaining area surrounding the park has mostly 1 and 2 story buildings, creating a very different neighborhood feel.

AT&T Building

The WAV, Ventura

In relation to the principle of mixed use, a question arises about the viability of ground floor commercial space at this time in downtown Ventura. With many past projects, the available commercial space has struggled over the years to find tenants.Built in 2009, the WAV development on the corner of Thompson Blvd. and Ventura Avenue provided affordable live/work units to the arts community and successfully implemented many of the Livable Communities principles, including a vibrant public space in the central courtyard/amphitheater and community room. However, currently only 4 of the 8 commercial spaces are rented. Across the street, none of the 6,500 sq. ft. of commercial space on the ground level of the Cora Apartments is leased.

The Two Eleven Project, Ventura

Another contentious project in Ventura has been the six story Two Eleven Project, initially approved in 2023 despite appeals from the public, and now in litigation. The project is slated to include 94 apartments, including 13 set aside for low-income tenants and 7 live/work units, as well as 3,181 square feet of ground-floor commercial space, and 96 parking spaces (which exceeds city requirements). The percentage of low income housing units is close to 15%, among the highest of recently proposed developments, providing choice.

Wide sidewalks, outdoor plaza seating and fountain, traffic calming corner design, and an interior courtyard contribute to the livability. Again, as an in-fill project it is in an area that already has transportation options and it does not impact environmentally sensitive open spaces.

Because the developer agreed to include low-income units, the project falls under a new state “density bonus” law under which the developer is entitled to build a structure larger than what would normally be allowed by city guidelines for downtown development. Fitting in with the neighborhood depends on the view you take. There are concerns about blocking the view from Poli Street, designated a scenic drive, and the proximity to the Downtown Historical area. The surrounding area is predominately single story structures, save for the three story Italianate office building and several Victorian house across the street; but the parcel, situated on the corner of Thompson and Figeroa, is just down the street from several multi-story buildings like the WAV (63’ high) and the Cora Apartments (56’ 2” max height). Similarly, Vista Del Mar Commons, a 75’ high, seven story multi-family housing building, is around the corner at Palm and Santa Clara.

To look at upcoming projects through the lens of the 10 AIA Livable Community Principles, may help us better assess them. That may help us decide how we reconcile our significant need for affordable housing with the implementation of sound development practices in any development there are trade-offs. The question is what are they? and are they worth it?

Why We Need To Do Better

We all know there is a housing shortage in Ventura County, but this shortage has become even more significant in recent years.* Obviously, limited supply raises prices, but beyond our shortfall in the number of permits, not enough of those were affordable units.

In Ventura County (National Association of Realtors Affordability Score of 0.24 and the least affordable Metro in the country), a household with $150,000 in annual income can afford just 4.9 percent of available residential listings. This is significantly lower than Riverside California Metro (NAR Affordability Score of 0.38 and the fourth least affordable Metro) where a household making $150,000 can afford 35 percent of all listings.

For decades Ventura County housing starts have remained below the national average. Ventura County housing availability is at an historical low. For 2023, the new residential unit building permit rate was 1.3 homes per thousand population, compared to 4.3 homes per thousand population for the United States and 2.6 homes per thousand for California

Over the last decade in Ventura County the drastic shift in the ratio of multi-family units permitted to single family homes permitted might lead one to believe, since these should be more affordable, that we are tackling the problem of affordability. That is not the case.

Some cities have guidelines requiring 10-15% of units per development to be designated for low income. However, even if 15% of the multi-family units were designated for low income and very low income households, we would still be woefully behind. For example, even if 15% of the approximately 870 multi-family units permitted in 2020 were affordable, that would still accommodate only 130 households. This is a drop in the bucket compared to the Ventura County 2020 Affordable Housing Needs report estimate that 25,804 low income households were in need of such housing.

Unless we want the state to come in and arbitrarily enforce mandates, we must do something to break this log jam. The AIA’s10 Principles for Livable Communities can provide another way of looking at projects. That might enable people to find more positives in them, to move past their previous objections, and to get more housing built.

*Data and charts are from CLUCERF.org, the NAR, and the Ventura County 2020 Affordable Housing Needs Report.