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