City Extends Deadline for Talks on Peirano Building Restoration

Hoping to hold down the cost of restoring a crumbling landmark, the City Council voted Monday night to extend its contract with an Oxnard developer looking at ways to update the 119-year-old Peirano grocery building.

In September, the city agreed to negotiate exclusively with KL Associates in Oxnard for two months on plans to refurbish the former market. The Nov. 8 deadline has been extended until March.

KL Associates initially estimated the cost of renovation at $800,000, but the city has said it cannot spend more than $500,000. Both the city and the developer are optimistic that with four additional months, an acceptable plan can be devised.

“I think we can make it work,” said Jim Ludwig of KL Associates. “We are looking forward to working on the project. We’ve been looking forward to it for 10 years.”

The city bought the deteriorating downtown landmark in 1987 for $150,000 but has not begun any restoration. The two-story brick building housed three generations of Peiranos, who operated a grocery store on Main Street across from the San Buenaventura Mission until the mid-1980s.

A fire set by a transient gutted the building’s interior last summer, causing firefighters to be concerned that parts of the building could collapse. Now leaks in the roof have further accelerated the structure’s decay, says Bill Hatcher, an associate planner for the city.

Retrofitting the seismically unsound building poses a financial challenge. The longer the city delays, the more the repairs could cost.

On Monday night, the council--acting as the city’s Redevelopment Agency--also agreed to allow Main Street Architects in Ventura to redraw its plans to retrofit the building to withstand earthquakes.

If all goes well, Ludwig said he envisions the Peirano building as a lively restaurant with tables clustered outside around a fountain. He added that he hopes to create a festive atmosphere like the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica.