VENTURA : Housing Allocation Plan Recommended

Ventura should spread its coveted housing allocations among as many developers as possible, a city housing committee recommended Tuesday.

Pro-business council members Rosa Lee Measures, Jack Tingstrom and Jim Monahan, sitting as the housing committee, drew up a list of how to distribute all but 140 of the city’s housing allocations. None of the developers would be allowed to build before 1996.

Other council members have said they do not want to commit all of Ventura’s housing allocations this year. They said they are worried it will greatly increase the pace of development in future years.

On Monday, the council is scheduled to grant developers permission to build as many as 1,018 dwellings through 1999. It’s the first time the council has issued housing allocations in four years.

The committee recommended that developer Ron Hertel, who wants to swap his land at Telephone and Kimball roads for city-owned land at Telegraph Road and Petit Avenue, be given 150 housing allocations.

Presley of Southern California, a Newport Beach-based developer, should be allowed to build 60 condominiums and 60 houses on land at the northwest corner of Telephone Road and Saratoga Avenue.

And Beazer Homes, which operates out of Sylmar, should get permission to construct 150 homes on about 40 acres at Telegraph and Kimball Roads, the committee recommended.

“I’m for total competition and I wanted to get the most out of this that we could,” Tingstrom said. “It creates competition in the housing market and competition for pricing.”

Tingstrom said dividing up the allocations among several developers will also create the most possible construction-related jobs in the area.