VENTURA : Art Gallery Can Add Restaurant, Bars

A downtown Ventura art gallery has the City Council’s approval to expand its business to include a restaurant and two bars, city officials said Tuesday.

Mayor Richard Francis said council members decided Monday to approve a 4,960-square-foot restaurant and lounge area in the building now occupied by Sacred Visions Gallery at Santa Clara and California streets. The gallery, co-owned and operated by Jay Rapp, features Native American and Southwestern art.

The restaurant proposal was made by Rapp and Ventura resident Brian Trenwith, who formerly owned the Bombay Bar & Grill.

Citing other area restaurant-gallery combinations, such as Franky’s restaurant on Main Street, Francis said the proposal “takes that concept up another notch” by offering a full range of alcoholic beverages and a variety of music.

Several local restaurateurs Monday complained that the new establishment would increase traffic and parking problems. But Francis said those concerns are necessary evils in the city’s efforts to revitalize the downtown area.

“You have to accept the fact that expanding business will have a major impact on parking,” Francis said. “You get traffic problems only if your businesses are doing well.”

The mayor said the proposal includes valet parking.