OBJECTION To LISTING ON NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
OBJECTION To LISTING ON STATE REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
TOP HAT HOT DOG STAND, 297-299 E. MAIN ST., VENTURA, CALIFORNIA

We are the sole owners of the Tap Hat Hot Dog Stand located at 29-299 E. Main St., Ventura, California. As the
sole owners of the Top Hat Hot Dog Stand we very Strongly object to the listing of the Top Hat Hot Dog Stand on
either the National Register of Historic Places or the California Register of Historic Places.

Additionally, we would like to make clear, on the public record, that we are very greatly offended and appalled by
our treatment in this matter:

On 3/27/2018 we wrote to State Historic Preservation requesting a continuance on this matter, stating:

"The rules, laws and obligations attendant to this nomination appear to be quite complex and

we are woefully unprepared to understand them. We simply do not have the time to locate an
expert. bring that expert up to speed on the history of the property and prepare the 
appropriate response in the allotted time.

We are unaware of any potential harm that could possibly be done by refusing to grant this
request and we believe that not granting this request would result in a substantive denial of
due process, perhaps jeopardizing the validity of the entire process.

Please do us the courtesy of granting a continuance so that we can appropriately prepare
ourselves to properly understand the signi?cance of the nomination and respond
accordingly.?

Even though there is no overwhehning urgency in this matter, much to our chagrin and very, very great
offense, this very simple request was denied. Frankly, we are appalled and very deeply offended.

We are attempting to get approvals to build a mixed use building on this property. We have {and had at the
time this application was prepared) agreed to keep the Top Hat in place, where is, as is. The 2007 Historic
Resources Survey of Downtown Venture listed the Top Hat solely as one of 53 recommended contributors to a
proposed, but never enacted, Main Street Historic District. It was not recommended either for a Landmark or a
Point of interest designation. There are a great many buildings in the area far more worthy of recognition which
have not been nominated. We very strongly believe that the timing of this application is an attempt to stall
and reduce the Size of our project in exactly the sort of way that has substantially increased housing costs

and resulted in the legislature beginning to reduce local control and other barriers to the development of
housing.

Downtown Venture Properties LLC.

v/Zr ?f'pgk 572/18

By: Charles tling? Manager Wright Wathg/ Manager