Architects Hired for Avenue Revitalization

Envisioning a bustling, revitalized west side, the City Council has hired a local architecture firm to design improvements for Ventura Avenue.

The $55,800 contract approved Monday night is part of a revitalization strategy for the Avenue. In March the City Council set aside $321,000 for landscape improvements and rehabilitation of buildings.

The plan--which will help spell out how this money should be spent--will flesh out ideas put forth by the Westside Community Council in a series of workshops last year at which more than 100 residents brainstormed ideas and shared visions.

Part of that vision included improving the appearance of the Avenue by removing overhead power lines, planting trees, marking the area with distinctive signs and other landscaping.

Ventura-based Mainstreet Architects and Planners Inc. will perform the work.

Ventura’s west side was the center of the city in the late 19th century and continued to prosper during the oil boom. But as Ventura grew east and oil companies pulled out, the area fell into disrepair.