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Ojai City Planning Commission recommends zone change to allow alcohol sales at Maricopa Highway gas station
Summary
The Ojai City Planning Commission voted 3-0 on June 3, 2026, to recommend the City Council approve a zone change for 1124 Maricopa Highway that would allow the existing gas station convenience store to sell alcohol. Staff said the item was re-noticed after a state law lengthened public-notice requirements; no members of the public spoke.
The Ojai City Planning Commission voted 3-0 on June 3, 2026, to recommend that the City Council approve a zone change for the property at 1124 Maricopa Highway that would allow the convenience store at the existing gas station to sell alcohol, planning staff said.
Staff told the commission the item had been re-noticed because amendments to California Government Code section 65854, effective Jan. 1, 2025, extended the required public-notice period from 10 days to 20 days. “On January 1st, 2025, there were amendments made to state of California government code section 65854… it increased the time for noticing from 10 to 20 days,” a staff member said. Staff said the project itself had not changed since the commission first considered it on Feb. 18, 2026, and recommended approval to the City Council.
The staff presentation said the site is at 1124 Maricopa Highway and has operated as a gas station under a conditional use permit granted in 1996; under the property’s current Business Professional (BP) zoning, convenience stores and sales of alcohol are not permitted, while General Commercial (C1) zoning would allow alcohol sales. The consultant for the applicant, Alan Nelson, said the applicants understood this hearing was being held to fulfill the updated noticing requirement and offered to answer any questions.
No members of the public spoke in person or online during the public comment period. With questions from commissioners absent, a commissioner moved to recommend approval of the zone change to the City Council; another commissioner seconded the motion. By roll call, Commissioners Hansen, Stewart and Chair Murphy voted yes; Vice Chair Chesley and Commissioner Ray Schmidt were recorded as absent. The motion passed 3-0 and the recommendation will be forwarded to the Ojai City Council for final action.
The commission also noted that the item had been the subject of prior review, including a conceptual review and the Feb. 18, 2026 planning commission hearing; staff emphasized that the renoticing did not alter the substance of the proposal. The date for the City Council hearing was not specified during the meeting.
