Council to Consider Revising Theater Pact

The Ventura City Council on Monday will consider amending its agreement with the developer of the proposed 10-screen theater complex downtown.

The city is set to purchase the fourth and final property in the 500 block of Main Street, where the theater will be built, by the end of May.

The most important change is that the agreement will take into account the increased cost of the five-story, 500-space parking structure planned for the corner of California and Santa Clara streets.

The parking structure was originally estimated to cost $3 million. But residents turned out at two public meetings to tell the city they wanted a structure that was architecturally tasteful and would fit Ventura’s funky, beach-town style.

With the help of Mark Feldman, who designed the theater, the developer came up with an attractive design--but at a cost of an additional $1.8 million.

The City Council will also consider a plan developed to help downtown shop owners survive the next year of construction.

The $70,000 plan will distribute information about theater construction to the public and provide alternate parking plans for the year of construction to keep people coming downtown.