Yes on Measure A

The fewer the items on a ballot, the easier it is to find excuses for not going to the polls. With only one question on Tuesday’s special-election ballot in the city of Ventura--and a question that directly affects only part of the city at that--many residents may well feel that it isn’t worth the effort to cast their vote.

That would be a mistake.

The question, known as Measure A, asks whether the city should proceed with its Midtown Corridor Redevelopment Project to clean up, fix up and revitalize the commercial corridors of East Main Street and East Thompson Avenue from Ash Street to Mills Road, including parts of Loma Vista and Telegraph roads. It would use a portion of future property taxes collected in that area to pay for enhancing public and private properties, infrastructure and housing.

The Times endorses a yes vote. We believe Midtown redevelopment is a logical next step for a city that is beginning to enjoy the benefits of revitalization efforts in its Downtown area and anticipating greater sales-tax income from the enlarged and improved Pacific View (nee Buenaventura) Mall.

The Midtown corridor, which connects these centers of activity, should not be left behind as the city works to update and upgrade. The redevelopment plan spelled out in Measure A offers a sound strategy to achieve this goal.

Because a redevelopment zone allows a city to hang on to a much larger share of that area’s future tax income that would otherwise go to Sacramento, all Ventura residents stand to benefit from the project even if they don’t live in Midtown.

We believe Ventura County voters’ support of growth-control measures such as Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources (SOAR) dictates a future in which expansion into rural areas will be replaced by smarter use of areas that are already built up. It only makes sense for Ventura to take advantage of the tools and tax advantages provided by redevelopment law to carry the city’s renaissance to the next level.