Council Backs Expansion of Buenaventura Mall

Undeterred by the threat of lawsuits and a referendum targeting their decision, the City Council unanimously approved a $50-million expansion plan for the Buenaventura Mall on Monday night.

The project, which has been contested by Oxnard city officials and rival mall owners, will bring two new department stores and a second level of shops to the 30-year-old shopping center, making it the largest in Ventura County.

But before construction begins, the city and the mall’s owners may face months--if not years--of litigation and a referendum aimed at defeating the expansion.

Attorneys for the city of Oxnard and The Esplanade shopping center have challenged the project’s environmental impact report. Oxnard officials had said before the council vote that they would consider suing Ventura if the expansion was approved.

And Monday night, the leader of a group that qualified a March ballot initiative attacking the project’s financing plan said his committee will launch a referendum campaign today to overturn the council’s decision.

Jere Robings, a taxpayer advocate from Thousand Oaks, told council members that they would be risking their political future by approving the deal.

“We feel that because the measure has qualified for the ballot, it would really be in the best interest of everyone concerned to not vote on the issue,” he said.

“I’ve seen recall measures started on a lot less than this,” he said, adding, “That is not meant as a threat.”

Councilman Steve Bennett, asked Robings if holding off on the decision would guarantee that his group would not launch a referendum. “You have no way of stopping that, do you?” he asked.

Robings answered no.

Bennett added, “I just want to go on the record that I believe the referendum will happen no matter what.”

The City Council granted initial approval to the project two weeks ago during a first reading of the city’s much-debated development agreement.

That agreement calls for the developer to pay $12.6 million in street improvements to be reimbursed by the city over 20 years. Including interest, the city’s payback will total about $32.3 million by 2016.

The deal has drawn the ire of some residents and tax advocates, who qualified the initiative aimed at prohibiting such tax rebates for the March 26 ballot.

Backers of Measure S had hoped the council would wait until after the election to vote on the mall proposal, so voters could have their say on the tax-sharing agreement.

But council members said their decision to vote on the proposal this month adhered to a strict timeline developed last fall to allow construction to begin as soon as possible.

Now, the same tax advocates--whose campaign is being bankrolled by the owners of the rival Esplanade--plan to launch a referendum to overturn the council’s decision.

They plan to begin collecting the 6,026 signatures needed to force a July special election today.

Outside the meeting Monday, one resident expressed frustration at the council’s unwillingness to wait for the vote in March.

“This is the most arrogant city council I have ever seen,” said Richard Chittenden, a 30-year Ventura resident. “They are ramming it down our throats.”

But council members defended their action.

“This is not intended to overrun any voter input,” Councilwoman Rosalee Measures said after the vote. “It is our fiscal responsibility to move forward.”

Pending any lawsuits, the first phase of the mall expansion is slated to begin in March.

Under the approved plans, Sears Roebuck & Co. and Robinsons-May will join J.C. Penney and The Broadway, which is slated to become Macy’s, as the mall’s anchor stores.

Developers will also build a three-story, 1,085-car parking garage on the east side of the mall near South Mills Road to accommodate more shoppers.