STEWARDSHIP
The reality right now in Ventura?
Ventura feels like a rental that hasn’t been taken care of in decades. Basic necessities across the city are not being met—and now we know why—the city doesn’t have the money.
Yet, the city’s focus downtown is fixated on a single project costing upwards of $55 million for a mere five blocks downtown—an expense that lacks both the necessary foot traffic to support it and a secured funding source.
In fact, money collected for Measure O and the upcoming 1% tax on the ballot could be funneled from the General Fund to Main Street Moves instead of much needed updates not only in downtown, but across the city. Keep scrolling…
How can we expect visitors, investors, and new residents to take our town seriously if it doesn’t look like we do?
Crumbling Roads: Our streets are physically falling apart.
Safety Concerns: Residents don't feel secure across the city.
Neglected Infrastructure: Basic city upkeep is being ignored.
Dirty Parks and Sidewalks: Regular cleaning just isn't happening.
Abandoned Landscaping: Sidewalk planting strips are left abandoned with dirt and weeds.
Logistically Unrealistic: There simply isn't enough local foot traffic or tourism to justify a closure of Main Street outside of events.
No Funding: There is no money secured to complete the $55 million Main Street Moves project in a reasonable amount of time.
Converted Pedestrian Malls Risk: Most converted pedestrian malls have reverted back to streets due to low existing foot traffic—the ones that survived already had heavy foot traffic from a university in town or high tourism. We have neither.
It's Time to Pivot
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It's Time to Pivot
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It's Time to Pivot
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It's Time to Pivot · It's Time to Pivot · It's Time to Pivot ·
Solutions
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Go Back to What Works
There was a buzz in the air downtown in 2019 that was left in the dust, and traded in for a long-term closure that doesn’t work. Our historic Main Street thoroughfare was designed for retail and dining—it’s time to restore, optimize, and build from there. Not reinvent the wheel.
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Think Outside the Box
Just because Main Street is open once again doesn’t mean we stop there. That’s the purpose of DVTA Street to Sea’s strategy—to show all the possibilities of what can be downtown with what we already have. Less cost, more experiences, and more revenue for the city to help pay for basic necessities.
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Baby Steps
With this plan, we’re able to build incrementally. Starting with opening Main Street, cleaning up downtown as a whole, and then activating our existing car-free spaces—all without a $55 million time-sensitive project hanging over us.
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Plan Long-Term
A key component of this strategy is planning long-term economic development downtown in a realistic, financially feasible way. We know how important it is that downtown generates revenue for basic needs across the city—the goal to put that in action? Plan in a thoughtful, strategic way that brings life back to downtown, while still keeping our Ventura charm.