Salomon said that the last
tenant fell behind in rent until he finally had to close the door.
The new lease is with Subway
Real Estate Corporation which will sublease it to the Subway store
operator. Salomon expects that the operator, Dave DiTomaso, a Simi
Valley resident who owns the Subway in Mira Monte as well as 15 other
Subway stores, will be able to overcome economic challenges that defeated
the locally owned shops he rented to previously.
“Most building owners would rather have a lease with a corporation
because they have deeper pockets,” he said. “If we lease
to someone who has 16 stores and the corporation behind them, we can
expect them to do better.”
Salomon said he understands that some Ojai residents do not welcome
chain stores, but argues that there is not a single person in Ojai
who does not frequent a chain, whether it be a gas station, a bank
or a supermarket. Salomon also says he is highly against Wal-Mart,
but has nothing against Subway because it is a cheap healthy eatery
which caters to Ojai’s working class and student population.
“The food is heathy and cheap,” he said. “Not everyone
in Ojai is rich.” Salomon added that his other tenants in the
building including Java Joe’s, Curves, and Delilah Hair Salon,
are very excited that Subway is coming.
DiTomaso, who finalized the lease earlier this week, said he had been
interested in opening a Subway in Ojai for some time but was discouraged
by city managers in the past who told him that it would be an uphill
battle. Detomaso had informally approached the City several years
ago but did not tell them of any specific locations he had in mind.
Among prospective buildings were the vacant building which was most
recently James Auto Repair on Ojai Avenue and what is now Jersey Mike’s
in the Fitzgerald Plaza.
“When Jersey Mike’s opened up I realized that the rules
of the game had changed,” said DiTomaso. He doesn’t expect
to have to go through the planning commission since he is opening
up the exact same kind of store that has been there for over a decade.
“I’ll do whatever is required in the city, follow the
sign ordinance and whatever else they require,” he said. “I’m
not here to challenge any guidelines.”
DiTomaso said that he can build a store in four to five weeks but
expects this one take about four months.
“We’d like to be open in the summertime,” he said.
City manager Jere Kersnar said that the city had not yet been contacted
by the Subway owner but expects that the project won’t need
to go before the Planning Commission as long as no changes are made
to the usage.
As he had warned at a City Council meeting in January, there is legally
nothing to stop chain stores from opening up downtown. The Arcade
Plaza district already has a Chevron gas station, a Wells Fargo bank,
a Radio Shack, and a Prudential Real Estate Corporation, but no food
or retail chains yet.
At the January council meeting, council members agreed that the proliferation
of chain stores in the downtown area would threaten Ojai’s tourist-based
economy. City planners agreed to begin working on developing an appropriate
ordinance that would protect Ojai from the proliferation of chain
stores without harming local business.
“The council has generally agreed that the character of our
historic district is threatened and we ought to do something,”
said Kersnar. “That notion has advanced and we are working on
it but it can’t be done over night.”
Local resident Jeff Furchtenicht who recently proposed a controversial
ballot initiative that would protect local business and discourage
chain stores in the city said he was appalled to hear that a Subway
was going to open.
“The city had an opportunity to put protections in place,”
he said.
Another Ojai resident Sue Williamson said that she was concerned the
Subway would set a dangerous precedent inviting more chain stores
into the Arcade.
Kersnar explained that any new ordinance would have to be researched
carefully and pass through the jurisdiction of several committees
before taking effect. A historic downtown area would have to be identified
and decisions regarding the type of ordinance would have to be made.
Council member Rae Hanstad had one solution: The immediate placement
of a temporary moratorium to keep chain stores from opening while
the city works on developing an ordinance.
“I’m going to ask for a report on chain stores that includes
the possibility of a temporary moratorium on corporate retail stores
in our historic district to give the city a chance to develop its
policy, “ she said.
Hanstad said she will ask for the report on Tuesday night’s
council meeting and request the subject of chain stores to be placed
on the next council agenda.
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