Proposed development off Johnson Drive in Ventura is the subject of a City Council workshop Wednesday that could help determine what mix of housing, offices or stores should go on a vacant piece of property.

A plan for the property at the corner of Johnson Drive and North Bank Drive, which went before the council in early April, suggested building 306 apartments and 11,400 square feet of retail space.

The Ventura City Council determined, through a 4-3 vote, that the plan would demand a land use change from "commerce" to "high-density residential."

This week's workshop was scheduled after there was debate over whether more business or housing would best suit that location.

Some important Johnson Drive retailers don't appear to be performing very well and the loss of those retailers could seriously hurt the area's shopping centers, according to a report by Community Development Director Nelson Hernandez.

He also raised concern about new competition from Oxnard's RiverPark development — two highway exits south across the Santa Clara River bridge — saying stores there would put pressure on retailers along Johnson Drive.

The 700-acre RiverPark development will include 2,500 housing units, schools, parks, retail stores, restaurants and a movie theater. Plans call for an upscale mall called The Collections.

The shopping center could draw away business and sales tax dollars from Ventura, though there hasn't been a market study done, said Alex Schneider, assistant planner in Ventura's economic development division.

There have been rumors that the Century 16 movie theater on Johnson Drive might pack up when a new cinema opens at RiverPark, though local merchants and city officials haven't heard anything to substantiate the talk.

Still, Schneider acknowledged that the theater was a "flight risk," and a serious one since so many other businesses rely on it for generating traffic.

Cinemark, owner of the Century 16, didn't return calls for this story.

While Ventura has created visions for other parts of the city, there has been little discussion on the future of Johnson Drive, Hernandez said.

"We haven't put that much thought to that area and that's a fact," he said, adding that the city doesn't have the time or people right now.

One proposal is for the City Council to allow more time to develop a plan for that area, perhaps considering it as part of the 2009-10 budget.

What's good for Johnson Drive is also good for the nearby Ventura Auto Center, the city's top sales tax generator, Schneider said, so it is important to use that land so it complements the auto center.

Traffic concerns

Johnson Drive business owners have various ideas for developing the property in question.

Some would like some sort of mixed-use project, with homes and shops. Others would like to see just homes. Still others would rather it be left alone.

Homes or businesses could lure more customers to their stores and restaurants. But at the same time merchants worry about traffic congestion if added demand isn't met with proper planning.

A representative with Casden Corp., which put forth the development plan discussed in April, went from business to business last week talking with owners about its proposed development and informing people about the City Council workshop.

Vern Morseman, owner of Ventura Hobbies, said he would rather see a residential-only development. Ventura already has too much vacant commercial space and building more doesn't make sense, he said.

Housing would mean more customers, though it's not a good time for those trying to sell homes and the area wouldn't be able to handle the additional cars on the road each day, he said.

"I wouldn't put any money into that property at this point in time," he said.

Morseman noted that there also is the challenge of building on a flood plain.

After running through all the hurdles for the development, he added: "They would almost be better off turning it into a park."

Cindy Mahamongkol, co-owner of Sawasdee Thai Cuisine, said mixed use seems to be the best plan.

"On Johnson Drive, we need some grocery stores like on Victoria," she said. "On Victoria, they have so many. On Johnson Drive, we don't have even one."

She said the down economy is hurting everybody, and new development could help draw more people to the location. She said too many investors aren't willing to take a risk right now, so she supports any plan that would bring more life to Johnson Drive.

She laughed at the suggestion that the opening of RiverPark's businesses could pull away customers.

"It depends on your quality, performance and service," she said.

Kimberly Kellington, owner of Journey Home, said she would like to see a development that included stores along the street and homes above so she could purchase a place and run her business downstairs. It would beat renting her shop, she said.

"It's already developed around here," she said. "A little more development's not going to hurt."

Helping existing businesses

Dave Cabel, operations manager at Performance Bicycle, said more could be done for the businesses already on the street.

He said he'd like to see a sign visible from the freeway.

"What's lacking is people even knowing we're here," he said.

Cabel said homes wouldn't hurt and a big business might lure more people to shop in the area, but he also worries about traffic. With the dealerships and motel it can already get pretty congested at times, he said.

Hernandez said it is important that plans for Johnson Drive don't hurt plans already in place for other parts of the city.

"What we don't want to do is damage the areas we've established visions for," he said. "So that's really what the discussion is all about."

In his report, he put forth an "urban village" idea that would bring in residential and local retail, suggesting it could be a starting place for discussion if the council wants to do something different.

He said he hoped property owners and the public would attend the workshop, even though it is only the first step in what could be a long process.