Council Split on Plan to Restrict Growth in Areas of School Crowding

Despite passage of the school bond measure and strong backing from the school board, City Council members are still divided on whether to restrict development in areas with overcrowded schools.

On Monday night, the council will consider an amendment to Ventura’s Comprehensive Plan that would legally require council members to examine whether schools could hold additional students before granting permission to build more houses.

Councilman Steve Bennett raised the issue in February after the City Council and school board pledged to work together to solve Ventura’s school crowding problems.

He suggested then that the city amend its master plan for growth to take into account school capacity.

But council members rejected the idea, saying it could jeopardize any chance of passing an $81-million school bond to build two elementary schools, one middle school and a magnet high school to accommodate an additional 3,500 students by 2010.

The bond measure passed in June, and Bennett, with school board members rallying behind him, has continued his quest to get the city to formally include schools in the planning process.

“I think the pressure from the public has grown . . . the school board is unanimous in its support,” Bennett said. “I think it becomes harder and harder for the council to avoid supporting this concept.”

But City Council members reached Friday are still far from unified in their support of the proposed amendment, voicing concerns that it is too restrictive and perhaps unnecessary.

“It was originally touted as giving the City Council the option of using school overcrowding as a legal way to turn a project down,” Friedman said. “The way it is now written . . . it is much more restrictive than we originally discussed.”

Friedman said he wants to be able to factor schools into the larger equation, along with all the extenuating circumstances around the project.

Monahan questioned whether the city should spend the time and money now to amend the Comprehensive Plan when it will probably have to be completely redone within the next two years.

Councilman Ray Di Guilio said he supports the concept, but not the proposed amendment.

“Building is not the only factor that affects school capacity,” Di Guilio said, pointing out that class size reduction statewide and other school programs are also factors. He also questioned why an amendment is needed now, when no new building permits will be handed out for construction before 1999.

School officials have argued that the city takes into consideration sewers, lights and city streets when it hands out developer permits. So why, they ask, can’t the city look at schools?

“I think this holds everybody accountable,” said Ventura Unified School Board member John Walker, who said he plans to be at the City Council meeting Monday.

If the council approves the proposed amendment, it would go to the Planning Commission Aug. 19, and come back to the council for final approval sometime in September.