On Aug. 2, 2023, a meeting was held at the community meeting room in San Buenaventura City Hall for the Design Review Committee (DRC) to review the potential apartment plan for 54 Day Road, which would replace and demolish the existing residence on the site.
The DRC published a report on the plan, including the architectural and landscape layout. The report’s project overview states that the establishment would implement a 15,176 square foot multifamily residential building with three stories and 30 residential units, including four lower income units and 40 off-street parking spaces.
The meeting allowed Tyler Walter, the Associate Planner for the project, to present the design and address questions and concerns from the DRC. The applicants also stated that the apartment’s target tenants are Ventura College (VC) students and faculty, as housing has not been implemented for the community college, among structural information about the project.
During the meeting, the DRC addressed different issues with the structure of the design, including problems with the balcony space, the butterfly roof and additional bicycle parking. Landscaping concerns the DRC pressed on were conflicts with adding vegetation, collecting rainwater and breaks in the massing on the north and south elevation.
“The project should have more open ground to capture water,” a public commenter said. Another public commenter stated concerns about the layout of the design, saying, “It’s a real long space and it looks pretty monotonous.”
Tyler Walter published an update on the apartments status on Jan. 24, 2024. The update established that the project has been set for a Directors Hearing on March 28, 2024.
The hearing will ultimately decide if the project will be granted a Planned Development Permit, which will move the proposition forward in authorization.
While the project remains unofficial, most students and teachers of Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) were unaware of the potential apartments, with the only hint being the sign propped up against the house in question.
“There’s already so much traffic that impacts arrival times and more residential areas near campus would further increase the problem,” former dragon and current VC student Lily Jenkins ‘22 said.
“I think that it will make it even more difficult to park because most students already don’t get a parking space,” Sophia Salles ‘25 stated, “I literally have to walk so far down from school because I can’t park anywhere.”
“I think the project is a great idea. Not only is it creating more housing opportunities in Ventura, [but] apartments contribute to lower greenhouse gas emissions,” future VC student, Atzimba Lagunas ‘25 said.
With the plan lacking official approval, public opinion on the apartments is minimal. As of Feb. 13, 2024, the project is set for a Directors Hearing on March 28, 2024, where the design will either be approved or denied a Planned Development Permit that will allow the residential project to move forward.
Abraham • Feb 20, 2024 at 3:08 pm
Why do these buffoons from LA and all these other big city folk and contractors have to come and exploit our gorgeous community. I hope and pray Ventura can go back to the tight knit community it was back in my day rather than expansion of land for the sake of housing. In my opinion this is why we need to further our space exploration efforts to find land on other plants and build and expand there. Land is the new gold from the way I see it.