A concept plan to build some 300 apartments and shops on Johnson Drive has too many houses and too few commercial uses, the Ventura City Council decided in a rare split vote.

The council voted 4-3 Monday night to reject a request to change land-use rules to allow upward of 300 homes and some 10,000 square feet of commercial space along the struggling commercial corridor near Highway 101. The prevailing council members felt more commercial and office space was appropriate for the 8-acre parcel on the southeast corner of Johnson and North Bank drives.

The four, however, had varying visions for the undeveloped parcel. As a result, the council agreed to hold a special workshop in coming weeks to clarify the makeup of uses they desire.

"We will schedule that as soon as possible so these people can move forward," Mayor Christy Weir said after the vote, "because we don't want any more hurdles in their way."

Casden Properties LLC argued its proposal of 306 apartments would add needed rental housing and provide a boost to the struggling commercial area where several storefronts sit empty. There are no other homes in the immediate area.

The 300 units, however, were too many for the mayor and others who preferred a mix of more commercial and retail offerings, particularly at the busy corner of Johnson and North Bank drives, with fewer apartments located behind or above.

Everyone agreed Johnson Drive could use more shoppers and the city could use more money. Competition from new developments across the river in Oxnard is likely to intensify. But council members want to see different things on the site.

Councilman Neal Andrews said he was open to a high-rise office complex, while Councilman Ed Summers said offices should go on Victoria Avenue. He felt Casden's housing plan was fine as is, calling it a "catalytic" project.

Councilman Jim Monahan, seemingly frustrated by the back-and-forth, lamented the lack of any development citywide and felt the city should be welcoming developers and not chasing them off with their ever-changing demands.

"Here is a project that is worthwhile, and here we are saying we don't want it," he said. "We need the rental housing."

Councilman Bill Fulton, a land-use author and expert, was in the pro-commercial camp. He worried about planting "nimbys" in the area. Those residents, he said, could stifle long-term desires to lure major retailers and revitalize the struggling retail center across the street.

Casden specializes in housing, not commercial projects, company officials acknowledged during questioning.

After the vote, Ventura City Manager Rick Cole urged the council to give the developer and city planning staff responsible for the proposal more clear direction on what they wanted on the site to prevent future revisions.

A Casden official said a suggested requirement of at least a quarter of the project reserved for commercial or office uses likely would kill the proposal.

The council members, having already spent hours discussing the project, couldn't articulate what they wanted and ultimately chose to meet again. "I think it will be a train wreck to do this tonight," Summers said.

In other action, the council agreed to move the start time of its regular Monday meetings to 6 p.m. The meetings currently start at 7.

The council also adopted a resolution to grant greater protections to local buildings over 40 years old. Local preservationists and members of the city's Historic Preservation Committee had voiced concerns about potential historic structures and resources being bulldozed without sufficient review.

Under the change, a historic resource assessment will be required before a demolition permit is approved.