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