Commission approves AT&T CUP amendment reducing required on‑site parking to zero in exchange for in‑lieu fees; code compliance must be resolved

The Ojai Planning Commission on April 2 voted to amend a longstanding conditional use permit associated with the AT&T switching station at 202 West Ojai Avenue, allowing the owner to reduce required on‑site employee parking to zero in exchange for paying two in‑lieu parking fees totaling $16,534.98. The amendment passed unanimously and includes a requirement that outstanding code‑compliance issues tied to the adjacent parking lot (111 West Matilija/Matileja Avenue) be addressed to the satisfaction of the Community Development director within 180 days.

The item revises a 1970s permit that historically tied a minimum number of employee spaces to the switching station and that has left an adjacent privately owned lot in the downtown core with a mix of reserved and informal spaces. Lucas Seibert, the city’s community development director, told commissioners the switching facility no longer has regular on‑site staff because of technological changes, and that a six‑space dedication historically associated with the site is no longer proportionate to current use.

“The building itself . . . is no longer having regular employees on‑site,” Seibert said in his staff…