Ojai planning commission hears months-long discussion about Mallory Way bungalows project; no vote taken

Mallory Way Bungalows project advances as discussion item, developers and staff seek input rather than approval.

The Ojai City Planning Commission on May 21 heard a staff presentation and extensive public comment on a proposal for 58 units at 412 Mallory Way, described by Community Development Director Lucas Seibert as “the Mallory Way Bungalows project” and “a discussion item only tonight.” The project is being pursued under a settlement agreement the City Council approved in December 2023 and would preserve 25 existing bungalow units on-site while adding new single‑story modular units and a trail through the site.

Why it matters: the proposal intersects housing, historic preservation and environmental protections in a densely developed neighborhood. Commissioners, nearby residents and Historic Preservation Commission members pressed the applicant and staff for more detail about parking supply, creek and watershed effects, wildfire evacuation and how new modular housing would relate to the site’s historic motor‑court character.

The developer team headed by Jeff Becker described the plan as a largely single‑story development using prefabricated units. Becker said the proposal includes on‑site parking that the team counts as 66 spaces (the applicant counted 63 standard spaces plus three ADA spaces) and said the design approach aims to limit two‑story buildings to protect neighborhood scale. Lucas Seibert told commissioners that because the project qualifies for state density bonus law, state parking ratios apply and the staff report…