Ojai Planning Commission approves second-story remodel at 510 East Aliso with minor variance and optional metal roofing

The Ojai Planning Commission on March 5 approved a design review permit for a second‑story addition and remodel at 510 East Aliso, including staff‑recommended conditions and a requested minor variance for site coverage.

The project, presented by Principal Planner Maura Macaluso and designer Wade Ellison, would add a second story and remodel an existing single‑story residence to increase the living area to about 2,525 square feet. Staff said the lot is approximately 77,857 square feet, the existing livable footprint is 896 square feet, and the proposed project would exceed the R‑2 zone site coverage limit (35 percent allowed; applicant proposes 37.1 percent). The applicant filed for a minor variance for the roughly 2.1 percentage‑point increase.

Why it matters: the project triggers design review under the city municipal code because it includes a second story and affects neighborhood context; commissioners weighed design compatibility, neighborhood scale, privacy for adjacent yards and fire‑hardening measures.

Commission discussion focused on compatibility with surrounding architecture, privacy impacts for the adjacent neighbor to the west, and wildfire safety. Neighbor…