Mall Proposed for Victoria Avenue Site

A Woodland Hills developer is proposing to build a 218,000-square-foot shopping center on the last large undeveloped plot of land along busy Victoria Avenue.

But the head of Ventura’s Planning Commission said he will be looking for more than another strip mall on the prime piece of real estate that has been vacant for years.

“That is the prime undeveloped parcel along Ventura’s most well-traveled street,” said Ted Temple, who sits on the city’s Design Review Committee in addition to heading the Planning Commission. “As such, it is important to build something that the city can be proud of. I would like to see a mixture of uses that sets the right tone.”

Montalvo Hills Associates has an option to acquire the 22-acre site located along Victoria Avenue, just north of Moon Drive. Developer Jay Kerner said his company is looking to create a retail project that would include both smaller boutique type stores and larger “box store” tenants, like a market or drugstore.

More than 39,000 cars per day zoomed up and down Victoria Avenue last year, according to city traffic records.

Which is precisely why, Temple argues, the city should think seriously about what it puts there. Temple said he would prefer to see a mix of prime office space, specialty retail stores and sit-down restaurants established at the site in keeping with the area’s urban character.

Kerner said he hopes to break ground by the end of 1998, or early 1999.

The Planning Commission and the Design Review Committee will hold a joint meeting on Nov. 13 to discuss the project publicly for the first time. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 501 Poli St.