Ojai Planning Commission re-elects Judy Murphy as chair, lays out priorities for joint council meeting

The Ojai Planning Commission unanimously confirmed Judy Murphy as chair and selected Vice Chair Chesley for the vice‑chair role during its meeting, then spent the bulk of the session framing priorities for a planned joint meeting with City Council.

The commission voted to adopt the meeting minutes and opened an extended conversation about items staff proposed for a June joint session. Lucas, the community development director, described the list as a “jumping off point” and asked commissioners to identify which items merit Council attention and which should stay in commission purview. Commissioners emphasized objective design standards, parking and wayfinding, undergrounding utilities, neighborhood design guidelines, and updates to general plan elements including the safety and circulation elements.

On objective design standards — a housing‑element program staff described as roughly 80% complete — commissioners pressed for a concrete package the commission can recommend to Council. Lucas said the standards would be ordinance language and that state housing laws increasingly constrain discretionary review, citing recent state bills as examples. Commissioners discussed whether the city could adopt standard templates for accessory dwelling units and use those as objective criteria that allow ministerial review and faster plan checks.

Parking and wayfinding emerged as another priority. Staff summarized two downtown parking studies that concluded the city has available parking overall but that demand concentrates during weekend tourism peaks. Commissioners proposed low‑cost measures such as wayfinding signage and targeted use of under‑utilized public lots as short‑term solutions, alongside a longer conversation about whether to pursue meter systems, permit parking, or site acquisition.

Undergrounding utilities was discussed as a long‑term, expensive option: staff noted urban undergrounding can cost up to $4 million per mile and often requires multi‑year timelines and neighborhood financing. Commissioners suggested alternatives such as pole replacement and insulated conductors that reduce fire risk and line failures as lower‑cost interim measures.

Several commissioners advocated neighborhood‑specific design guidelines and public‑improvement standards to preserve Ojai’s character, suggesting the city leverage existing neighborhood definitions (for example from the community forest management plan) to avoid disputes over boundaries. Commissioners also requested clearer staff materials before the next meeting — baseline drafts, prior staff reports, the two parking studies, and sample objective‑standards examples from other cities — so the commission can prepare a clear recommendation to Council and report progress to the state housing department.

The commission set a near‑term schedule to review the objective design standards and other items ahead of the joint session in early June; staff will supply the requested materials and a proposed prioritization. Formal votes taken at the meeting — officer elections and adoption of minutes — were unanimous. The meeting concluded with a short director’s update and adjournment.