Ventura City Council Votes to Make "Main Street Moves" a More Permanent Downtown Attraction

UPDATE: Ventura’s Main Street Moves is now extended to June 2024. Safely shop, sip, dine and stroll in the streets during Main Street Movies. More info at downtownventura.org/moves.

Ventura City Council moves toward making Main Street Moves a more permanent attraction in Downtown Ventura

The Ventura City Council voted 7-0 at its meeting on November 8 to make Main Street Moves long-term with a full closure of five blocks in Downtown Ventura, retaining the existing curb, gutter, and sidewalk configuration through a flexible design approach.

Discussions included maintaining a pedestrian-friendly area in keeping Main Street closed to traffic from San Buenaventura Mission to Fir Street, with an additional focus on potentially keeping California Street closed to traffic.

“During the pandemic, the City reimagined the use of public spaces and joined with Downtown Ventura Partners to launch Main Street Moves, which helped many local businesses not only survive but thrive,” said Mayor Sofia Rubalcava. “Thousands of people have expressed strong support for keeping streets closed and maintaining outdoor dining and shopping areas. It’s exciting to hear that kind of positive public response as we look at design, cost, and logistics for supporting a semi-permanent downtown street closure for Main Street Moves.”

Main Street Moves roadblock on California Street at Santa Clara Street in Downtown Ventura.

The design approach includes the installation of bollards at the intersections and furnishings that are removeable, allowing the modification of the closure as needed with the evolution of downtown and the needs of the space. The design would open back up the existing sidewalks, use the existing angled parking spaces for businesses to use for outdoor seating and dining in the form of parklets, and keep the existing travel lanes free and clear to accommodate delivery trucks, service vehicles, and emergency vehicles.

The City Council also voted to have City staff work with consultants to study traffic impacts, environmental impacts, obtain a bid for removable bollards, and design standards for the parklets, all which will guide the process to the full closure. Additionally, an appointed ad hoc committee will be created to focus on improvements and cohesive design to the Mission Park and Figueroa Plaza.

To encourage participation for both restaurants and retailers, staff will create a fee and lease structure for use of the public right of way space to support the activation of the street and have critical mass of participants.

In December 2021, the continuation or issuance of a new interim special use permit for Main Street Moves will be brought to City Council while staff finalizes the full closure program with the necessary studies. Main Street Moves currently operates under a Special Use Permit and Temporary Emergency Ordinance, which are set to expire on January 7, 2022.

Visit www.cityofventura.ca.gov/OutdoorDiningProgram to learn more about Main Street Moves and view reports, and survey results.

Office Depot in Thousand Oaks to Close Its Doors; Grocery Outlet to Become New Tenant

Office Depot at Moorpark Road and Hillcrest Drive in Thousand Oaks is closing its doors and has commenced a store closing sale. Sadly, this is of no big surprise, as Office Depot has closed hundreds of locations over the last five years as consumers migrate towards online shopping.

In its place will be a Grocery Outlet store. Date TBA.

NewMark Merrill Companies Sees Flurry of Merchant Openings and Leases at Janss Marketplace in Thousand Oaks

NewMark Merrill Companies Inc., a Woodland Hills-based shopping center owner and manager, has seen significant leasing activity at Janss Marketplace, a 458,000 square foot community center located on the Northwest corner of Moorpark Road and Hillcrest Drive in Thousand Oaks.

NewMark Merrill recently announced that it signed Five Below to a 9,850 square foot lease to neighbor the now open ALDI grocery store that replaced a former Toys R Us space that closed due to bankruptcy. Construction for the Five Below location at Janss Marketplace recently began this month and is scheduled to open in October 2021.

This new lease with Five Below continues the momentum at Janss Marketplace. Starbucks opened a brand-new location at Janss Marketplace with a drive-thru at the end of 2020 and Wingstop opened earlier this year in the first quarter of 2021. California Fish Grill signed a lease for 2,975 square feet and opened on July 26th. Additionally, The Mighty Axe, an entertainment destination featuring axe throwing at wood targets in a safe and lively environment, signed a lease for 3,281 square feet and opened this past weekend. Finally, Pieology recently signed a lease for 2,200 square feet and is scheduled to open in early 2022.

NewMark Merrill has recently completed the installation of a mural named Conejo by artist Evan Meyer which was inspired by the rich history and abundant presence the cottontail rabbit has in the region as well as the namesake of the county. Janss Marketplace also saw the return of its signature July 4th community event after being cancelled last year after 20 consecutive years due to COVID. In a sign of the excitement from the City, the event welcomed over 3,000 people to the property to enjoy live entertainment, food, games, including an incredibly competitive pie eating contest and a dynamic and patriotic fireworks show.

“As the COVID crisis comes to an end, we remain dedicated to looking for ways to improve our centers and creating a sense of community with new merchants, art, gathering places, events and capital improvements. Having such significant leasing activity, community engagement, and increased traffic at Janss Marketplace reinforces the narrative that we have always believed, that centers that become part of the community and provided opportunities for people to create lasting memories will succeed no matter the times,” said Sandy Sigal, NewMark Merrill President and Chief Executive Officer. “We continue to see increased traffic at Janss and other centers throughout our portfolio as consumers return to having a sense of community.”

Janss features an outstanding tenant mix of key local, regional, and national retailers including ALDI Grocers, Regal Cinemas, DEFY Extreme Air Sports, Old Navy, Starbucks, Buca di Beppo and Gold’s Gym among other local retailers and merchants. The center's location at the NWC of Moorpark Road and Hillcrest Drive with over 58,000 daily traffic counts in Thousand Oaks with 155,000 people in the trade area makes it one of the most desirable retail locations in Southern California. Thousand Oaks continually ranks as one of the safest U.S. cities for its size by FBI reporting standards. For more information about Janss Marketplace, visit www.janssmarketplace.com and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/JanssMarketplace.

About NewMark Merrill Companies

NewMark Merrill Companies, Inc. owns or manages a portfolio of over 85 shopping centers valued at more than $2 billion. Since 1987, President and Chief Executive Officer Sandy Sigal has led the company of shopping centers representing over 1,800 tenants and 10 million square feet in California, Colorado, and Illinois. The Company has founded and invested heavily in BrightStreet Ventures, its technology company, which is working on leading edge solutions for property owners and merchants to succeed in today’s retail environment. For more information, visit NewMarkMerrill.com.

County of Ventura Moves to State's Red Tier, Allowing More Businesses to Open Indoors

Thanks to recent progress being made in the fight against COVID-19 in Ventura County, businesses such as restaurants, gyms, movie theaters, massage businesses and places of worship may now open indoors, following California Department of Public Health sector specific guidance for reopening, as of 12:01 pm today. The changes come after the County qualified to move into the less restrictive red tier of the State's four-tiered, color-coded reopening system. Until today, Ventura County had been in the state's purple tier, the most restrictive tier.

In order to move into the red tier, the County had to see average case rates drop below 7 per 100,000 people and testing positivity rates dip below 8%. For the past two weeks, Ventura County has met those benchmarks. As of Tuesday, the case rate is 5.5 per 100,000 people and the test positivity rate is 3.0%.

A new Ventura County Health Officer Order has been issued to align with the tier advancement.

Moving into the red tier means the following sectors can reopen with modifications:

• Places of worship, restaurants, movie theaters and museums can be operated indoors at 25% capacity or 100 people, whichever is less.

• Gyms can reopen indoors at 10% capacity. 12 feet distancing required in Ventura County.

• All personal care services such as massage, tattoos and piercing salons can open indoors.

• Indoor shopping malls can operate at 50% maximum occupancy (instead of 25%). Food courts can also open following the state's guidelines for restaurants.

• Indoor retail stores can now operate at 50% capacity (instead of 25%)

• Elementary and secondary schools can reopen for in-person instruction by October 21 if the county remains in the red tier for two more weeks. Currently, elementary schools can apply for a waiver from Public Health to reopen.

Community members who have been exposed to a COVID-19 positive person, who have symptoms or who have contact with others outside of their household for their work are encouraged to get tested. County testing sites are available 7 days a week at no cost with no appointment needed. Short wait times and results within 24 hours are the standard right now.

Businesses and other organizations should review their applicable industry guidance for reopening safely from the state. Businesses must also be registered to reopen at www.vcreopens.com. If a business previously registered, they do not need to register again.

The California Department of Public Health has also issued a new Health Equity Metric that goes into effect today. The goal of the metric is to prevent spread among disproportionately impacted Californians. The County of Ventura has been committed to equitable response and serving and protecting the most vulnerable since the beginning of the pandemic. These efforts have included free testing, expanded testing hours and locations, contact tracing, multi-lingual outreach, assistance programs for food, rent and household bills, waived clinic fees, hotel vouchers, permanent housing and more.

The Health Equity Metric requires that the lowest Healthy Places Index (HPI) quartile be below 8%. To enter the state’s less restrictive Orange Tier, it needs to stay under 5%. The County is currently at 3.6% positivity rate for the lower HPI quartile compared to 3.0% for the County as a whole. The County will continue to support health equity with expanded outreach and support throughout the County.

For more information about COVID-19 in Ventura County, visit www.venturacountyrecovers.org

The latest public health order dated today is at vcportal.ventura.org/CEO/VCNC/VC_Public_Health_Officer_Order_10-06-2020.pdf

Hair Salons and Barbershops May Apply to Reopen Tomorrow in Ventura County

Via Pexels (Photo credit: Gratisography)

Governor Newsom announced today that hair salons and barbershops in most California counties can reopen as the state moves forward on the path to reopening. The County of Ventura was approved for a state variance last week allowing the County to move faster through California’s reopening phases

Hair salons and barbershops that reopen may only provide services that allow for both the stylist and customer to wear face coverings for the entirety of the service. This means that haircuts, weaves and extensions, braiding, lock and wig maintenance, hair relaxing treatments and color services can be provided.

Services like eyebrow waxing and threading, facials and eyelash services are still not allowed since they involve touching the customer’s face, according to the state’s guidance

vcemergency.com

Oakmont Senior Living Facility Under Construction on Canwood Street in Agoura Hills

For those wondering what all the grading and construction is going on at Canwood Street, just west of Kanan Road, this will be an Oakmont Senior Living facility.

Planned is a two-story, 71,020 square foot assisted living and memory care facility with 75 units and an anticipated resident population of 86 people.

Twenty-six of the units will be designated for residents requiring memory care (e.g. residents with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia).

Amenities at the facility will include cooking and dining facilities, activity rooms, beauty salon, library, fitness center, private theater and outside courtyards.

The plan is to use the southernmost section of the 5.73 acre lot for construction to minimize impact to existing oak trees on the northern portion of the site.

The site prior to grading.

Planned layout on the south side of the parcel (nearest to the 101).

Compilation of Restaurants Offering Take-Out and Delivery Service in Ventura County During the COVID-19 Emergency

Many of you have asked for a compilation of local area eateries that are open during the coronavirus Stay Well at Home order for either takeout or delivery. We have compiled a list of links to such eateries that have been compiled by local cities.

We’ve highlighted a number of open eateries in the Conejo Valley on the CVG Instagram page at www.instagram.com/conejovalleyguide - if you scroll down you’ll find many of them.

City of Moorpark: www.moorparkca.gov/910/COVID-19-Restaurant-Guide

Greater Conejo Valley Chamber list at THIS LINK

Agoura takeout and delivery at www.conejochamber.org/restaurants---agoura-hills

Thousand Oaks takeout and delivery at www.conejochamber.org/restaurants

Westlake Village takeout and delivery at www.conejochamber.org/restaurants

City of Agoura Hills list at www.ci.agoura-hills.ca.us/novel-coronavirus-information/restaurant-information

Camarillo: www.cityofcamarillo.org/business/covid-19_open_for_business_list.php

Simi Valley Chamber list at www.simivalleychamber.org/restaurants.html

Ventura Chamber of Commerce list at venturachamber.com/restaurants-open-and-offering-to-go-and-delivery

Oxnard Chamber of Commerce list at www.oxnardchamber.org/covid-19-food-delivery-and-takeout.html

Santa Paula Chamber list at santapaulachamber.net/2020/03/20/santa-paula-restaurant-information

Local Food Delivery Services:

www.doordash.com

www.grubhub.com

www.ubereats.com

Farmers' Markets to Continue Operating in Midtown Ventura, Downtown Ventura and Thousand Oaks

The Ventura County Certified Farmers’ Market Association (VCCFMA) is committed to maintaining its four farmers markets as a vital food facility and local food source during this time of uncertainty with the spread of COVID-19. As a result, the VCCFMA announces that all four markets will remain open for the foreseeable future in Midtown Ventura, Downtown Ventura, Thousand Oaks and Santa Clarita.

In order to provide the safest operations possible, the VCCFMA is modifying its systems by implementing more stringent cleaning and disinfecting protocols at the markets, which include increased sanitization of the equipment and frequently touched areas. Additional hand wash stations and sanitizing products are also available at the markets’ Information Booths. All sampling practices are being discontinued as well as the elimination of cooked foods.

The move of the Thousand Oaks Market scheduled for March 26 to the Front Northwest Outdoor Lot at the Oaks Shopping Center has been postponed during this chaotic time. The market will remain at the East End Parking Lot on Wilbur Road and Thousand Oaks Boulevard until the market operations become stabilized. A new move date, projected for May, will be announced once the site has been approved.

Shoppers can assist with safety by utilizing the hand washing stations, washing hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds before eating or drinking and washing again thoroughly after using the restroom. Products will be limited, and shoppers are asked to observe social distancing as well. All food products need to be thoroughly washed when taken home. It is also advisable not to touch ones’ face, hair, body or clothes. Keeping these tips in mind will help ensure everyone’s safety at the markets.

Current updates will be available on VCCFMA social media channels – Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. For more information, call 805-529-6266, or visit the website at www.vccfm.org.

About the Ventura County Certified Farmers’ Market Association (VCCFMA)
The Ventura County Certified Farmers’ Market Association is a non-profit farmers’ cooperative that has been in existence since 1986 and serves the communities of Ventura, Thousand Oaks and Santa Clarita with their four weekly certified farmers’ markets.