Panel Adopts City Plan for Future

The 39-member Seize the Future Committee has adopted a plan based on a months-long evaluation of the city.

The panel distributed the plan to the public during a news conference Wednesday at the Ventura Pier.

The idea behind the city-driven plan, officials said, is to present a vision of the future based on public opinion.

Suggestions include building a pedestrian promenade from the downtown area to the beach, a regional sports park and community center for the east side, and attracting high-quality, low-scale industry to the city.

City officials want the public to evaluate the plan using a response form available at City Hall or on the committee’s Web site: https://www.seizethefuture.com.

If the public likes the plan and suggests few changes, committee Chairman Bill Fulton said, the committee will revise the draft throughout October and very likely present it to the City Council in November. The council is expected to approve the plan in January.

If the public throws the entire plan out the window, that timeline goes with it, Fulton said.

City officials have printed 55,000 copies of the summary for residents and community groups to assess. A more comprehensive 100-page version of the entire plan will soon be available at City Hall.