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Ojai Valley Green Coalition previews master-plan concept, reports volunteer turnout and next steps
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Summary
The Ojai Valley Green Coalition presented a progress report on cleanup work and a concept plan for the City Hall campus, reporting recent volunteer cleanup days, public site tours and an online survey open through Nov. 30 to gather programming input.
Kathy Nolan, representing the Ojai Valley Green Coalition, told the City Council on Oct. 28 that volunteers and technical partners have advanced cleanup and restoration work at the Ojai City Hall campus and presented a concept plan toward a future master plan.
Nolan said the coalition ran two creek cleanup days in October and held an Oct. 25 open house and site tour that drew “close to 40 people,” including representatives from PAX Environmental and the Historic Preservation Commission, and described restoration progress in the creek and composting operations on the site.
The coalition shared site analysis and two schematic options for future programming. That online community survey, Nolan said, remains open through Nov. 30 and seeks input on features such as native-habitat protection, children’s nature play, demonstration gardens, an eco‑center, pedestrian circulation and accessible parking. Nolan reported that Option A led preliminary public polling because it sits farther from existing pickleball courts and offers better canyon views.
Nolan described the coalition’s tree assessment work with a consulting arborist and plans to prioritize native-oak protection while identifying isolated hazardous or invasive trees that might be phased out for fire-safety reasons or restoration success; she said removed woody material could be reused on-site for natural benches, trail mulch and other site furnishings.
The coalition’s concept includes a primary ADA-accessible route, secondary trails, orchard and community-garden areas, a potential restroom near Kent Hall, and a proposed bridge to create a loop trail opposite the creek. Nolan said the coalition will schedule additional site tours, will continue outreach to local schools, and invited residents to the coalition website for details and to sign up to help (ojaivalleygreencoalition.org).
Council members and attendees praised the volunteer-led cleanup and encouraged continued coordination with city staff on site engineering, landmark requirements for the carriage house and future structural review if the carriage house is considered for program use. Nolan said the carriage house remains on the concept plan but would require structural and landmark compliance work before reuse as a children’s nature center or community classroom.
