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Green Coalition outlines master plan and tree‑work for Ojai City Hall campus; residents warn pickleball noise could limit passive park uses
Summary
The Ojai Valley Green Coalition presented a City Hall campus master‑plan progress report — including a preliminary tree trimming/removal plan, stormwater proposals and two schematic sites for a proposed workshop building — and scheduled volunteer and community‑review events in October.
The Ojai Valley Green Coalition on Aug. 12 presented a progress report on the City Hall campus master plan, summarizing site inventory, an arborist tree survey, a preliminary tree-trim/removal plan, stormwater-capture concepts and two schematic locations for a proposed community workshop building.
Kathy Nolan said the current contract covers the master‑planning phase through May 31, 2026, and builds on a 2022–23 community engagement program that favored a passive, nature‑based park with education uses. She showed maps using arborist Jan Skow’s tree survey: trees indicated to remain, trees proposed for trimming or removal (hazardous or invasive), and areas that would open up for development if some trees were removed. Nolan said removals would be paired with mitigation and replanting where feasible and examined for reuse (logs for site furniture, hugelculture to capture stormwater).
Council and residents asked about interactions with flood-control easements, landmarked buildings (Carriage House), the scope of potential parking and delivery access and whether tree removals could tie to fire-suppression grant opportunities. Nolan said the team would refine a structural assessment for the Carriage House and coordinate with staff. She invited public comment and scheduled volunteer cleanup Oct. 4, an open house Oct. 25 and continuing online public comment through Aug. 31.
Several residents praised the coalition’s community process and urged caution on the existing pickleball courts: commenters said seven‑day pickleball play, seven hours a day, causes noise that would undermine a passive park and urged council to study sound‑mitigation options. Others noted the public engagement included support for pickleball from a portion of respondents and that design trade‑offs would need to be resolved.
Next steps: the Green Coalition will continue stakeholder engagement, complete a structural assessment of the Carriage House, finalize concept drawings after public comment and return a concept-level plan and cost estimates to the council.
