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

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.