The problem of maintaining housing affordability in “high amenity” areas is pervasive through the country. Housing affordability is a potential constraint to retaining/attracting residents. Given the widespread nature of this problem it is critical to take advantage of best practices as they develop around the state and the nation. The highest-priority strategies include: addressing the cost of affordable housing development through improvements in permitting/entitlement process and fees; improve County/City coordination on specific housing development projects; build policymaker support for non-traditional housing products; address the cost of affordable housing development through reductions in development impact fees; prioritize publicly-funded infrastructure investments (to reduce costs to developers).
Homelessness is a nationwide problem for which best practices continue to be assembled, which will have varying applicability to conditions in Ventura County. To some extent, there is no optimal “local” solution to homelessness, because the demand is essentially infinite. Strategies must include regional, if not national, coordination and cooperation to address this issue.
Continue to promote business-friendliness in the regulatory/permitting environment throughout Ventura County through collaboration, exchange of ideas and best practices, continued use of Lean Six Sigma, streamlining regulations and permitting requirements, adding ombudsman/facilitator resources, and promoting consistency in policy and practice, among cities and the County. To the extent jurisdictions can share common practices, businesses and developers will experience consistent treatment, which will promote economic vitality directly and also indirectly by virtue of the positive image created.