[{"_1":2,"_109":-5,"_110":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6522791,"mediaKeyId","5067064-ee3fa851966dee11d0594b8820641795","parentId",5067064,"title","Ojai planners and council consider fire hardening, defensible space and undergrounding priorities","audioSeconds",5795,"startMs",780000,"endMs",6575000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5067064-ee3fa851966dee11d0594b8820641795&start=780&end=6575","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5067064-ee3fa851966dee11d0594b8820641795/thumbnail_780000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6522791/Ojai-City/Ventura-County/California/Ojai-planners-and-council-consider-fire-hardening-defensible-space-and-undergrounding-priorities","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6522791-f15b8cbedc5a19115c8d0e6c2a2d36e9/orig.mp4?Expires=1773700750&Signature=O5B0YMysLF0V50iTretVHjmn49eL6JM3-UfUa2Z6QyHJ~jRtvR2~mBMzqzIRSDvYrZob6JMpdkUq3O02KGdWVZPNIIgjKDEGyJMbl0FntmYqQaaK53LHo1X893y9KKAiOhy-KZcm9SSezyp20EB3wPUc2A98jGH3tv2aIFVORW3FWtDqn9ZzdUNZ8EcbVzeeddBC6ZC-1pqsZpKp9hRr8vj3pv3VOx7k5G8-Gcpj0Vw-b58Z1A5XvxgGL4k5WhVcFUPKpqiTqLrX2ZMFb555PmYQBh5E9fIj030Kt22YuHnCjSOJeeGvZ8RKBPB6TVsimtAWMNQKn82awJOvvYQ1mw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Ojal, CA","date","2025-06-25T07:40:10Z","article","City planning staff, commissioners and councilmembers discussed fire hardening, defensible-space enforcement and the long-term, costly prospect of undergrounding utilities as part of broader wildfire mitigation.

Why it matters: Ojai sits in a high fire-hazard area. Officials said a combination of near-term home hardening, community Firewise efforts, and longer-term infrastructure projects (including potential utility undergrounding) are all on the table.

What was discussed

- Defensible space and code: Public commenter Renee Roth highlighted that the city adopted the California Fire Code in 2022 (enacted locally in 2023) and said Chapter 29 requires defensible space for structures. She urged the city to enforce defensible-space provisions and adopt Ventura County Fire Standard 5.15 to support enforcement and outreach.

- Firewise and fuel reduction: Commissioners and public commenters supported stronger early-stage efforts such as Firewise community programs and targeted fuel-reduction work (including pasture/grazing approaches on private slopes) in high-hazard neighborhoods.

- Undergrounding utilities: Staff said a meeting is planned with Southern California Edison to explore available funding options; council and commissioners noted undergrounding is a long, expensive process that can improve resiliency but requires coordination and likely assessments. \"You have to get cooperation from private property owners,\" a staff member said. Rule 20 (CPUC) funding options were discussed as limited and complicated.

- Implementation tiers: Officials described a three-tier approach: short-term household hardening and defensible-space outreach, medium-term infrastructure adjustments and ordinance changes, and long-term undergrounding where feasible.

Public comment and volunteers

Residents urged tangible help with home-hardening tasks (for example, stapling vent screens) and more public education about defensible space. The Fire Safe Council and volunteers were identified as potential partners for grant-supported outreach and implementation.

Next steps

Staff said they will inventory existing code and building standards to identify where fire-hardening requirements already exist and where code amendments could add clearer standards; the city will also meet with Edison and the county to pursue partnerships and funding options.

Ending

Officials characterized undergrounding as a long-term goal that needs early planning. The council and commission asked staff to return with specific code-mapping and outreach plans and to continue partnerships with county and utility stakeholders.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","June 24, 2025 Ojai City Council & Planning Commission Special Joint Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","The joint meeting addressed fire-hardening priorities, defensible space enforcement and opportunities for undergrounding utilities; staff said short- and medium-term measures are immediate priorities and that Southern California Edison, county partners and Fire Safe Council volunteers are part of next steps.","taxTitle","Ojai City, Ventura County, California","taxId",72373,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6522797,"Ojai to explore parking, parking commission and transportation RFP after public comments and staff discussion",5127,334000,5461000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5067064-ee3fa851966dee11d0594b8820641795&start=334&end=5461","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5067064-ee3fa851966dee11d0594b8820641795/thumbnail_334000.jpg","/articles/6522797/Ojai-City/Ventura-County/California/Ojai-to-explore-parking-parking-commission-and-transportation-RFP-after-public-comments-and-staff-discussion","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6522797-a1eb2b776f88159991269e6452dc1df7/orig.mp4?Expires=1773700750&Signature=lmCBOo1slML~0I5lf8nk4vQ9p2YHM1-LxQO83VHzvdMryqnMLqEshgXUVgiTNkndnZkGXYGu5IS6FqJkqTcc2PNCpR-jSW8x48TiZJe0IOkNw9rvt02WnP0~RmuN2cjCryf3dGgv6f3sptpQchJTUQG4TClf4tr2nvaVwlgLB0dSr9qYdghQa2Y9I4jtZVrRjZXuYX-5z0hbjMDm6GvO3JTg9SKK1HUiY~VuqNV265fmq36MPjGxvxvL1zqBl~ReyfeVGu5Vj6aRhWpO2U8gFw41EeoVJnuxpn-2sO6n2QaQs~4ij1KhZmI5-GIAy4dT2V9qrgbozSPBgVE1z60Y5w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The City Council and Planning Commission on Tuesday directed staff to scope an RFP for third-party analysis of parking, circulation and transportation options and to prepare cost and timeline estimates for council review.

Why it matters: Downtown parking and circulation were the most contested practical issues at the joint meeting. Public commenters and several commissioners said the city's existing approach leaves pockets of short-term congestion near the arcade and other tourist destinations, while others urged eliminating parking minimums to reduce development costs on affordable housing.

What the meeting covered

- RFP scope: Staff proposed an RFP to hire a consultant to examine structural options: reuse of existing underused city-owned lots, circulation changes (including around the arcade), employee parking enforcement, and whether meters or permits would improve turnover. \"The RFP... would be for ideas and solutions around fixing our code potentially and also, the parking downtown and what we can do to maximize the free parking that we already have,\" a planning staff member said.

- Parking/transportation commission: Commissioners and councilmembers discussed creating or repurposing a commission to cover parking, traffic and safety. Staff confirmed the subject falls logically under a traffic and safety committee and said forming it will require a Brown Act committee appointment process.

- Public comments: Three members of the public spoke in the meeting room and two online commenters participated. One online commenter identifying as \"Starchild\" urged abolishing parking minimums, arguing they raise housing costs; another commenter urged more emphasis on walkability and alternative transport.

- Policy constraints: Staff and legal counsel cautioned that state law limits what the city can require for qualifying affordable housing projects (parking minimums are constrained when projects qualify for density-bonus protections). \"If we require more parking than the state standards for a density bonus project, that fails,\" legal counsel said.

Next steps

- Staff will return with a proposed RFP scope and cost estimate and will coordinate the task with the council's goals- and-priorities work and a potential traffic/transportation commission.

Ending

Council and commissioners emphasized public engagement in any parking study and asked staff to identify specific city-owned parcels and circulation hot spots for consideration in the RFP.","Council and the planning commission agreed to pursue a scoped request for proposals (RFP) on parking and circulation, consider folding parking into a new traffic and safety commission, and examine meter/permit and lot-acquisition options after public comment urged changes to parking minimums and downtown circulation.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6522801,"Council, planning commission weigh West Side/design guidelines to preserve downtown character",5217,156000,5373000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5067064-ee3fa851966dee11d0594b8820641795&start=156&end=5373","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5067064-ee3fa851966dee11d0594b8820641795/thumbnail_156000.jpg","/articles/6522801/Ojai-City/Ventura-County/California/Council-planning-commission-weigh-West-Sidedesign-guidelines-to-preserve-downtown-character","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6522801-73472b7a7824c5d1ac12bacc35cadd61/orig.mp4?Expires=1773700750&Signature=aJgvTKTf3iocJahtSKSQeAtGFdnoOGEJBsMjkGpnG-ffm8HoiSHzFEtHmyr2qV9Kb06Rkwm6brzzrX9N0jXyxNksEnncutHJejNinQXLONepcrfXvTQOqMhNqERnW7gCFYfHUWcD~0wfs2BbW5~PEvNkQbLpwy6lUL5dKjRcLe69F26SLsLjxSlp76-QZ4hT0i6VmVUFP9vWQvFu2h8P4bpSivUcJcFu1Z~iAb5ijCZFSp-Iy84Bu8kvFgZOt02l3SFsKXu4fSXwcQm-QGO0XnlZkHum9tIs31djOdzyy3iKW~KRufgBrpMDSjiEXQGkGn~G6WCzx5CbGTfZvXCjHQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City council members, planning commissioners and staff discussed whether Ojai should expand or create new design guidelines for the West Side of the city and the Ojai Avenue corridor to preserve the town's character and guide future development.

\"What do we want things to look like?\" Mayor Gilman summarized during the meeting, as commissioners and staff described a range of approaches from clearly defined style rules to broader \"urban form\" standards that focus on setbacks, pedestrian orientation and parking placement.

Nut graf: The group focused on whether the city should codify a single style (many speakers said the downtown has a \"mission revival\" feel) or adopt multiple, area-specific objective standards that tie building materials, heights, setbacks and parking to particular stretches of Ojai Avenue. Several members proposed using an outside consultant or a request for proposals (RFP) to produce design scenarios for public review.

Details and debate

- Urban form vs. style: Commissioners and councilmembers repeatedly distinguished \"style\" (architectural materials, roof type) from \"urban form\" (building placement relative to the street, sidewalks, parking in back). Commissioner Chesley said the West Side could be a \"transitional zone\" between the city edge and denser downtown core.

- Historic influences: Several speakers referenced the Mead & Requa work (the post office, arcade and other older civic architecture) as a downtown precedent. Some councilmembers suggested a broader objective standard that captures materials and elements common in those buildings without forbidding other contemporary designs.

- Area definitions: Staff proposed mapping West Side guidelines from \"the Y\" (western city entry) to Bristol or the Country Club, with distinct guidelines for the zone between Westridge and the post office; commissioners noted the current downtown design guideline boundary stops at Signal Street and said expansion merits consideration.

- Process suggestions: Lucas Seibert and others suggested an RFP to bring third-party design expertise to craft options for public review. \"An RFP... would then help us with the design guidelines that we're looking to the West and then help frame does it end up being 2 different guidelines or 1 design guideline that has 2 different pieces,\" Seibert said.

Public comments

Public commenters asked for clarity and user-friendly language so residents and applicants can understand design rules, and attendees recommended public engagement to shape any new guidelines. Some speakers favored keeping the downtown's mission-revival character; others urged flexibility to allow new, well-designed projects of other styles.

Next steps

Commissioners and staff agreed to continue work on the concept, develop area boundaries, and consider an RFP to gather outside design options. Staff said draft concepts will return to the planning commission and council for review and public comment.

Ending

Officials emphasized community involvement: commissioners and councilmembers asked staff to move forward with scoping the work, bring back cost and timeline estimates for an RFP, and schedule follow-up discussions.","Ojai officials discussed creating or extending design guidelines for the West Side and downtown corridors to encourage a cohesive \"town\" feel, consider Mead & Requa-era influences, and possibly use an RFP to bring outside design expertise.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":91,"_45":103,"_47":104,"_49":94,"_51":105,"_53":106,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":107,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":108,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6522805,"Ojai officials discuss objective design standards, state limits on local control for affordable housing",2192,2348000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5067064-ee3fa851966dee11d0594b8820641795&start=156&end=2348","/articles/6522805/Ojai-City/Ventura-County/California/Ojai-officials-discuss-objective-design-standards-state-limits-on-local-control-for-affordable-housing","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6522805-651b14af1cff91ccae1a4c3f5958337a/orig.mp4?Expires=1773700750&Signature=ZsKgxbMrKOKyyaBc71LxqnLgMWTnMeB4SDEIwAIWf9vF3I5UtOgAwpjDXkflHT9q3u-n8hj6FzbN3-sTHdR50WJEYqd~j7rgD2x3MGe9l2B2oTd7BEC8uuvleo-S6t5LFBvXdHszTWDBrjAEDdl7SbiMuz2K~DWF3LmnzuAWsu-UORP7caMCE55YJb7BdSNJoaTC-ZujlrYD9uKWMs4tiM9gDQwlOkLtbRtAJh36X0Avm7hudeiSAofWyB8mWXmHW23-g6KKUotPSnjSSRkBtRQHthwJp3ZcR4UIVhtP8UKo8syvRHJGbMxhwOiwLhjQz~M0gTodyXxI~55kjZMIFQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Ojai officials and planning staff on Tuesday discussed drafting objective, measurable design standards for multifamily and mixed-use affordable housing projects to meet the city's housing element obligations and state requirements.

The conversation centered on how to write objective, numeric standards that HCD (California Department of Housing and Community Development) and state law expect for housing projects that qualify for density bonus protections. \"The state's looking for, in their words, mathematical standards. It can't require looking,\" Director Lucas Seibert said, describing the level of specificity HCD seeks.

Why it matters: objective standards shift some project reviews from discretionary to ministerial when projects meet affordability thresholds, reducing city-level design discretion. Commissioners and council members said they want guardrails that express local preferences (height, materials, setbacks, \"mission\"-style elements) but acknowledged state statutes and density-bonus rules limit what the city can require for qualifying affordable projects.

Key details

- Scope: Staff said objective design standards apply specifically to multifamily and mixed-use projects that qualify as affordable housing (not single-family or most commercial projects). \"The way in which that operates... the majority of Ojai Avenue is C-1 commercial. So [it] wouldn't qualify as it exists for the objective standards,\" Seibert said.

- State thresholds: Director Seibert explained that the statewide baseline for density-bonus protections is lower than the city had previously used: \"The state took away the requirement for a 20%. That's on our SPL, but the default state standard is 5% very low income.\" He advised the commission and council that local standards must be written knowing the state sets minimums that can trigger broader protections.

- What objective means: Officials said objective standards must be measurable. \"You gotta be able to quantify it,\" Seibert said, giving examples such as defining \"mission style\" by specific materials and elements (stucco exterior, barrel tile roof, arched openings, defined color range) or setting numeric height limits (feet) rather than subjective judgments about \"how it fits.\" Commissioner discussion repeatedly returned to height, parking and materials as areas to specify.

- Incentives and concessions: The group discussed how density-bonus incentives, waivers and concessions allow developers to seek relief from local standards (including height and parking) when they meet qualifying affordability metrics. Seibert and legal counsel warned the burden rests with the city to show an incentive is unnecessary to achieve affordability if it seeks to deny one.

Public comments and staff guidance

Public commenters urged clear, user-friendly language for guidelines so residents and applicants can understand them and called for community participation in shaping standards. One online speaker who identified as \"Starchild\" urged the city to \"abolish parking mandates now,\" saying minimum parking requirements raise housing costs.

Next steps and constraints

Staff said the objective standards are part of Housing Element Program 15 and that HCD has accepted a progress-based timeline even though certification deadlines were missed. Councilmembers and commissioners asked staff to draft standards that can include area-specific rules (for example, a corridor-specific overlay for Ojai Avenue) while acknowledging state law will create \"asterisks\" that limit local authority on certain affordable projects.

Ending

Councilmembers and commissioners asked planning staff to continue drafting objective design standards and to return proposals for public review and further commission and council consideration, while working with legal counsel to minimize exposure under state housing laws.","At a June 24 joint meeting, the City Council and Planning Commission discussed drafting objective design standards for multifamily affordable housing to satisfy the city's housing element obligations, while staff and legal counsel warned state law narrows local discretion for parking, height and density incentives.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Ojai planners and council consider fire hardening, defensible space and undergrounding priorities

Ojai to explore parking, parking commission and transportation RFP after public comments and staff discussion

Council, planning commission weigh West Side/design guidelines to preserve downtown character

Ojai officials discuss objective design standards, state limits on local control for affordable housing