A proposal for some 300 apartments and a few shops on a vacant lot off Johnson Drive in Ventura should feature more retail offerings because of its proximity to Highway 101, Ventura's top housing official said.

The eight-acre lot at the southeast corner of Johnson and North Bank drives would be better served with more retail and possibly offices lining the busy Johnson corridor, with housing behind or atop the businesses, Community Development Director Nelson Hernandez said Friday.

The current proposal has too many houses to meet existing land-use rules for the site, and a request to change those rules should be rejected, he said.

The Ventura City Council will consider the developer's request tonight at 7 in its meeting at Ventura City Hall, 501 Poli St.

Casden Properties LLC last year proposed 306 rental units and about 10,000 square feet of commercial space for the vacant lot, plans show. A representative of the company could not be reached for comment Friday.

Casden's high-density proposal would bring much-needed apartments, and an influx of residents likely would benefit existing stores on Johnson Drive, Hernandez said. But with limited space in town reserved for commercials uses, he would prefer to see more land dedicated to retail and office space facing Johnson Drive with homes in the rear, he said. The property is bordered by agriculture fields to the east, a shopping center with a large movie theater to the north and the freeway to the west.

"We would rather have them line Johnson Drive with retail and have a prominent retail feature on the corner of Johnson and North Bank," he said. "Their proposal has a bunch of apartments and a little bit of retail. It should have a preponderance of commercial uses."

In other action, the council will consider starting its regular meetings an hour earlier. The change to 6 p.m. could begin later this month, if approved. Last week, the council agreed to meet three times a month rather than four, beginning in July.

The council also will review possible spending cuts and cost-saving actions to offset a projected $4 million shortfall in the fiscal year that begins July 1. The council is not being asked to take formal action but will be presented a detailed list of service reductions the group could chose to adopt later this month. The list can be found under the City Happenings link on the city's Web site at http://www.cityofventura.net.