Oxnard OKs $2-Million Downtown Revitalization Plan

After years of waiting and spending thousands of dollars on consultants and studies, the City Council has finally approved an ambitious $2-million revitalization plan to bring life back to a once vibrant downtown.

Spurred by the possibility of attracting a 14-screen movie theater and by criticism from downtown merchants for lack of action, the council has established a plan to increase lighting, improve safety conditions, realign a winding A Street and clean up Plaza Park.

Critics say the plan does nothing to bring new businesses to an economically moribund downtown, but only adds some frills and decorations.

But Tila Estrada, president of the Downtowners Assn., a group of merchants and business owners, said the plan was better than the city’s earlier inaction.

“If you make it pretty, clean it up and get a different attitude, then people might say ‘OK, I might want to be a neighbor,’ ” Estrada said. “It still might be lonely, but at least it will be clean, well-lit and safe.”

The plan, which was approved by the council Tuesday, was developed by a new cast of city officials.

Alex Herrera and Richard Maggio, the Community Development officials who previously worked on downtown revitalization, are no longer heading the downtown planning effort.

Though Herrera will still be involved in some aspects of downtown planning, a recently formed Downtown Operations Group--made up of Assistant City Manager Prisilla Hernandez, consultant Jim Ludwig, a member of the Downtowners group and a representative of the Community Development Commission--will implement the revitalization plan.

In addition, a new part-time downtown manager will be hired to replace Peter Apanel, who was fired last month.

That position, said Hernandez, “would pretty much be the same in terms of what Peter was doing in organizing the Downtowners and helping to get the private sector to take over.”

Under the plan, the city will pay for the downtown improvements by refinancing some of its outstanding mortgages, dipping into bond reserves and using some of the city’s redevelopment money, according to consultant Cal Hollis of Keyser Marston Associates Inc., a real estate and financial consulting firm based in San Francisco.

Approval of the financing plan was required before the council receives a presentation on the architectural design of the project. This part of the revitalization plan was coordinated by the city’s new design coordinator Tony Perez, a former Fillmore city planner.

At Tuesday’s meeting, about half a dozen Downtowners showed up to speak in support of the project.

“I think the overall intention is to get the project going,” said Downtowners member Rosemary Pace. “The plan has the support of the Downtowners fully.”