West County Issue / Factory Outlet...

Bill Kobrin, Leisure Village resident

Factory outlet retailing is not in the best interest of the residents of Camarillo. Unfortunately, there is not much we can do. The City Council is intent on putting an outlet center in the city regardless of how the citizens feel about it. It is good to generate as much financial activity in the city as possible, but they are not being selective of the merchandise to be sold in the outlet center. This will create a different type of customer base that will generate more congestion and pollution in the area. There is a certain amount of development needed in order for the city to grow, but as one of the citizens, I feel that an outlet is not the right project. We now have to play a sit-and-wait-and-see-what-happens situation. The only thing we can do is keep a check on what types of businesses go into the center and see if they will upset the balance of the existing merchants.

Cindy Sawyer, President, Camarillo Chamber of Commerce

I am for the Koll-Leonard project. I was also for the Sammis project, which, overall, would have better met the needs of the community than the Koll project, but I am still for the Koll project. I support the Koll project because Camarillo is losing too much tax revenue, a substantial amount, to Oxnard and Thousand Oaks. The community, although change is hard to face, would welcome the convenience of such a factory outlet in the area and the job opportunities it would bring. I know there are vacant stores in the city, but the vacancy aspect here is now lower than that of Ventura or Oxnard. This is America, and free enterprise means that people should be able to put up a store and business wherever they are allowed. We are in a recession. Typically, that’s when a center should be built, in anticipation for the future when people start looking for places to open businesses again.

Bill Torrence, President, Ventura County League of Homeowners

The Board of Supervisors unanimously supports the Koll-Leonard center for the simple reason that the land being used is not agricultural land. We were against the Sammis Co. project because it was going to be built on land that was zoned agricultural. However, the land for the Koll-Leonard center was taken out of agricultural land designation about five years ago. It is just common sense that that’s where the mall should go, if anywhere. I don’t know if it will be beneficial or detrimental to the area. It will be beneficial if it does what it’s supposed to--raise money through tax revenue. Of course, it may hurt merchants already established in the surrounding area, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be built. I’ve seen (the merchants) sweat out the recession and other hard times and still survive. The new mall will mean stiff competition, but it will be fair competition. It will be up to the shoppers to decide their fate.

Lin Anderson, Camarillo store owner

I am against development of the (Koll-Leonard) outlet center because it still has all the problems the Sammis project had, except the agriculture one. There will still be a problem with the added traffic, pollution and crime that it will bring to the area. All this doesn’t change just by moving it a few miles down the road. The outlet should be built outside Camarillo, like other cities have done with their outlets. This one will be built right smack-dab in the middle of the city and will negatively impact the community of Camarillo. It will hurt the local merchants badly. There is already a plethora of vacant stores in the city. They should fill in the storefronts that have been vacant for more than five years. That would disperse the traffic and the pollution and bring more business to the storefronts that are already there. Instead of an outlet center, why don’t they build something there is a need for, like a community center or a performing arts theater?

Norm Shute, Camarillo store owner

I am not in favor of the Koll-Leonard project because it will hurt some of my friends who own businesses near the site, but it’s already a done deal. The legislation for it has been done and a substantial amount of tax dollars have already been spent on it, so it’s no use protesting. It’s just a matter of what facilities are going in and how they are going to affect the local merchants. The new shopping outlets will sell similar items at a lower price. That means the new outlets are going to have to sell about four times as many items to break even with the tax dollar revenue that is usually gained by selling one item at a higher price. City officials understand this, but they are hoping for a good roll of the dice. They’re relying on the center’s ability to draw more outside traffic to make up the difference. It’s just a matter of waiting and seeing what’s going to happen.