Ojai commission recommends landmarking Mallory Way, backs Mills Act tax contract amid debate over new units

The Historic Preservation Commission voted March 13 to recommend that the City Council designate the former Valley Outpost Lodge at 412 Mallory Way as a City of Ojai landmark and to recommend approval of a Mills Act contract with the property owner. The commission also debated and offered substantive comments to the Planning Commission about the project’s site design.

Staff presented a proposed project analysis prepared by Page & Turnbull and described the property’s history: a motor lodge built between 1947 and 1949 with a courtyard, pool and related landscape features and (corrected during the meeting) 19 historic cottages on the parcel. Staff said the current submittal proposes to retain the existing cottages, rehabilitate them over time and add 33 new residential units in 31 separate new buildings for a total of up to 58 units, as required by a 2023 settlement agreement between the city and the property owner.

The consultant’s report concluded the site is eligible for local landmark designation under several criteria and found the proposed project could be consistent with the Secretary of the Interior’s Rehabilitation Standards if specific recommendations are followed. Staff and the consultant advised design measures such as distinguishing new stone wall patterns from existing stone; repairing rather than replacing original exterior features; using gentle paint‑removal methods; and recommending darker roof colors and subdued cladding colors for the new prefabricated units. The report also recommended retention or relocation of site…