Camarillo Draws Lines for Renewal

After years of neglect and slow deterioration, the aging strip of mom-and-pop storefronts that line this city’s most historic commercial district is on the verge of getting the help that merchants say it badly needs.

The City Council late Wednesday approved the boundaries of a 1,000-acre redevelopment zone that business owners and residents alike hope will generate millions of dollars for new projects and breathe new economic life into Ventura Boulevard.

The vote was unanimous, with Mayor David M. Smith and Councilwoman Charlotte Craven abstaining because of conflicts of interest.

The action marks the first attempt by Camarillo at redevelopment--a procedure for generating increased property tax revenues which has helped other cities pay for public projects for years.

Camarillo officials said a lack of interest on the part of council members and routine opposition from the county delayed establishing such a district. But renewed requests by business owners and a new cooperation between county and city leaders convinced Camarillo to proceed.

“The whole program is designed to improve the economic condition of the boulevard and some older sections of town,” said Planning Director Matthew A. Boden, who spent much of the past six months plotting the proposal.

The proposed redevelopment district includes much of the Ventura Freeway Corridor, a wide swath of acreage generally between Las Posas and Flynn roads that includes huge chunks of land on both sides of the Ventura Freeway.

The boundaries also include the huge Camarillo Town Center project under construction, as well as the Camarillo Factory Stores, which is planning two new phases in the next few years.

First proposed late last year after Ventura Boulevard merchants asked the city for help revitalizing the commercial core, city consultants estimate that the redevelopment district would raise more than $163 million in increased property tax revenues over the next 45 years--a stunning amount for a city whose annual General Fund is about $10 million.

Property values--and annual taxes--rise when new investment occurs, and cities often borrow against the expected influx of new tax money.

“It’s going to generate some revenue to do economic development,” Boden said. “We’re looking at some of the older areas of town that have been there for many years and need assistance.”

But that $163 million in future revenues translates to a current borrowing power of roughly $20 million in 1996 dollars, excluding administration costs and a mandatory 20% set-aside for housing projects.

As proposed, the district would raise about $6 million for public projects such as street lamps and sidewalks, $9.3 million for storefront renovations, and about $5 million for business expansion and retention programs.

“It’s going to take awhile to generate the revenue and accomplish the projects we’ve identified,” Boden said. “But it will also provide assistance to the property owners to do things they wouldn’t [otherwise] be able to accomplish.”

Redevelopment districts do not increase taxes.

They are able to raise money for city projects and loans to landowners by placing any new taxes resulting from increased valuations into a special account.

The idea is to create an Old Town shopping district that attracts large numbers of new customers, much like Ventura has tried to do in the past two years.

“What we’re hoping to do is enhance the area so the sales tax revenue will be increased,” said Bobby Hernandez, chairman of an advisory committee that studied the redevelopment proposal.

“When you increase that, you increase business and that’s what it’s all about,” he said.

Hernandez said that when he drives through downtown Ventura these days, there is rarely a place to park.

But not everyone is sold on the idea.

Ventura Boulevard merchant Guy Maison, co-owner of Augusta’s Showroom, applauds the city’s intention. Yet he remains unconvinced that the plan will work.

“In order to save the area, they’ve got to create an atmosphere that will draw people,” he said. “I question how the [redevelopment district] is going to do this.

“Considering the money and when it will be available, nothing will commence realistically for probably three to five years,” Maison said. “If they wait that long, the effort is going to be twice as hard.”

Tom Tucker, who owns the Checkered Flag auto racing supply store on Ventura Boulevard, is a little more optimistic. But his business does not rely on the city for success.

Most of his customers see his advertisements on cable television.

“I think it’s going to be a good thing, but I also think it’s going to be a year or so down the road until anything really happens,” he said. Physical improvements “won’t help me, because I don’t rely on walk-in traffic.”

The redevelopment district would allow the city to raise money for public projects, as well as for loans to property owners interested in sprucing up their stores, supporters said.

“Even behind the buildings, where there is extensive off-street parking, those sections are full of cars,” Hernandez said. “That’s what would happen to Camarillo, too.

“We can revitalize Old Town Camarillo just like Ventura,” he said.