Ventura Council Rejects Appeal, Approves 75-Unit Thompson Court Apartments

The Ventura City Council voted 5-2 during a special meeting on June 30 to approve Thompson Court Apartments, a 75-unit development at 1655 E. Thompson Blvd., rejecting an appeal filed by the surrounding San Buenaventura Tract neighborhood.

Councilmembers Alex Mangone and Liz Campos voted against the project. Mangone, who represents the district where the development is located, said the Planning Commission had been "grasping at straws" trying to find grounds to deny the project and called it "a wholly unpopular project with the community."

The appeal, filed June 4 by community member Kelly Dorsey on behalf of the neighborhood, claimed the applicant used unverified data, that staffing errors occurred throughout the review process, and raised questions about the state Density Bonus Law, which allows developers to override some local zoning rules when affordable housing is included. The project contains eight very-low-income units.

"These errors created a systematic bias towards approval," Dorsey said during the meeting. "This appeal was not about opposing housing, it was about ensuring that housing is built honestly, fairly and safely."

City staff recommended the council uphold the Planning Commission's May 27 approval, citing compliance with the state Density Bonus Law, the California Environmental Quality Act, and city code. Assistant City Attorney Chris de la Vega told the council that both the Housing Accountability Act and the Density Bonus Law place significant limitations on the city's ability to deny a multifamily housing application.

Deputy Mayor Doug Halter said he supported the motion "begrudgingly" because he could not find a legal basis to deny it. "I do think it pushed the limits, but I just can't find the finding not to," Halter said.

The project, proposed by JAS Group Enterprise LLC and Dakota West Realty LLC, includes 22 studio apartments, 40 one-bedroom units, 11 two-bedroom units, and two three-bedroom units on a 0.62-acre lot between Hurst and MacMillan avenues. Eight units are designated very-low-income, available to households earning below $54,950 per year for an individual or $62,800 for a couple, less than 50 percent of the area median income of $135,600.

The site currently houses a commercial business selling campers and camper shells and sits at the edge of the Coastal Zone boundary. Plans include a rooftop patio, a rear patio, and subterranean parking with 57 spaces, six bike spaces, and 16 tenant storage rooms.

Several procedural errors were acknowledged during the meeting. Planning Manager Shanna Farley said courtesy notices to nearby residents were not mailed within 30 days of the application's March 1, 2025 submission due to a "disconnect" in the mail room. An error involving Assembly Bill 2097, a state law that prohibits parking minimums near major transit stops, was also identified and corrected after the applicant initially assumed the property qualified. A third error occurred when the applicant's base density analysis still incorporated the incorrect AB 2097 assumptions during the May 27 Planning Commission meeting.

"I acknowledge that transparency is super important to staff and these do erode the public's trust," Farley said. "I want to make sure we get back to a point where we are presenting all the information as possible."

Councilmember Campos also noted a map error showing incorrect bus stop locations.

Councilmembers made several non-binding recommendations to the developer, including limiting construction hours to 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, installing a temporary sound wall, using enhanced grading methods for subterranean parking, designing the building for future all-electric transition, and adding plant-based shielding for neighboring properties. Project architect Ron Nestor said the developers "will consider, and endeavor to do these things."

The project is part of a broader development pattern on Thompson Boulevard. The recently completed Thompson Village apartments across the street has 29 units on 1.6 acres. The Ocean Avenue Apartments (19 units) and Thompson Cruz Apartments (19 units) are also in development.

Ventura still needs to plan for nearly 4,000 housing units under its Regional Housing Needs Allocation for the current cycle ending in 2029, including 1,113 very low-income units, 841 low-income units, 942 moderate-income units, and 1,454 above moderate-income units.