City Council Defers Company’s Road Fee

For the first time, the Ventura City Council voted to defer the fees that a local company must pay for road improvements.

Lost Arrow Corp., the parent corporation of Patagonia Inc., which recently completed construction of a building at 280 W. Main St., was assessed $53,789 in traffic fees by the city. The fee was based on a formula the city uses to estimate how much increased traffic a new building or office will generate, and how much a developer must pay.

Lost Arrow appealed the assessment, saying that most of the building would be used as a photo studio and for child care, and hence would not generate as much traffic as if it were used for offices.

Council members concurred Monday night and agreed to reduce the fee to $18,190, and defer the remaining $35,599 until more vehicle traffic is generated.

Resident Clark Owens encouraged the council to defer the traffic fee because the action would send a strong message that the city is willing to work with developers.

Councilman Gary Tuttle resisted the idea, saying it was the equivalent of giving money to developers.

“I don’t care what group it is. We should not be giving away traffic mitigation fees under the phony excuse of economic vitality,” he said.

Councilman Jim Friedman supported deferring the fee, saying: “Why charge them for something that they will not use right off the bat?”