Ventura Harbor Officials, City Council Must Chart Similar Course, Study Says

Ventura port officials should team up with the city to bring badly needed improvements to Ventura Harbor and take other steps to improve a strained relationship between the Port Commission and City Council, a consultant recommends.

There is no need to consolidate governing bodies--as some have proposed--if the two panels can improve communication and work more closely toward common goals, consultant Andrew S. Belknap says in a study made public this week.

And while the port district has done a good job emerging from a disastrous bankruptcy, the harbor can multiply its revenue by taking better advantage of the natural beauty of its location.

The report also says much work remains to be done to upgrade restaurants and shops at Harbor Village, to develop a 23-acre site at the marina’s north end and to bring other attractions, such as an aquarium, that will make the marina an even stronger regional attraction.

If successful, the increased revenue will ensure that the district does not run into the red again and can continue to make improvements at the 274-acre harbor, Belknap says.

Mayor Sandy Smith said the study should end speculation that the city is intent on taking over the port district’s operations.

The city has said all along that its primary goal in asking for a study was to identify ways to better coordinate planning between the city and the port, Smith said.

“Hopefully this reflects the beginning of a good working relationship so we can all benefit from the harbor’s assets,” he said. “The harbor is one of our economic pillars, and it needs to be supported by the council to make it the best port it can be.”

The port district was formed 49 years ago to run Ventura Harbor’s retail, fishing and boating operations. Commissioners are appointed by the City Council but operate independently of city government.

Oscar Pena, the port’s general manager, said he agrees with many points made in the study. More cooperation with the city is needed, he said. And the district, with a $5-million annual budget, struggles to make improvements because it is still saddled with heavy debt payments related to its 1993 bankruptcy.

But the district is slowly recovering and has now built a $7-million reserve, Pena said. Plans are underway to develop a 23-acre site at the harbor’s northeast edge.

Developer Sondermann Ring Partners of Marina Del Rey is expected to deliver a report in two months outlining a complex of up to 300 upscale apartments, a recreational marina and 20,000 square feet of restaurants, shops and services, Pena said.

Pena disputes the report’s contention that the harbor’s existing retail center, Harbor Village, is becoming dated and needs major renovations. Port commissioners each year approve hundreds of thousands of dollars in repairs to the village’s walkways and buildings, Pena said.

And while not drawing the kind of tourism enjoyed by Santa Barbara’a marina, Ventura Harbor is able to pay its bills by taking a more balanced, “small-town” approach, Pena said.

William Fulton, a regional planning expert, said the harbor has recently been a commercial success despite a history of bad luck and poor management. In 1969, the harbor was flooded after days of torrential rain. And the district was mired in litigation for nearly 20 years over a soured development deal, leading to the bankruptcy.

“It doesn’t need a major upgrade for now, it just needs to build some complementary businesses,” he said. “The people of Ventura don’t care who operates it. They just want it to work well.”

The study recommends that the port make an annual budget report to the City Council as one way to improve coordination. Both bodies should hold a joint yearly session to talk about future plans. And the city should appoint a staff member as a liaison with the port.

One controversial suggestion would allow Ventura council members to dismiss port commissioners at will. But Smith said that is not likely to be seriously considered.

City staff will look closely at ways it can help the port save money by better integrating services provided at the harbor.

The report will be finalized after a public comment period. The city and port have also jointly commissioned a study on a new master plan for the harbor area.