Ojai Planning Commission to discuss affordable housing proposal

Wes Woods II, Ventura County Star
Updated ·2 min read
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The Ojai Planning Commission will discuss on Wednesday an affordable housing project on Montgomery Street.
The Ojai Planning Commission will discuss on Wednesday an affordable housing project on Montgomery Street.

UPDATE: The Ojai Planning Commission voted 4-0 in favor of the project Wednesday. The City Council will make a final decision on the proposal at a future date.

ORIGINAL STORY:

A 15-unit proposed affordable housing project in Ojai will be considered by the city’s Planning Commission Wednesday.

The project at 304 S. Montgomery St. will have three buildings on a little more than a half-acre vacant lot. The site is adjacent to the Ojai Valley Trail and a short walk to Libbey Park and downtown Ojai, according to a city staff report.

Developer Jeffrey Becker of Ojai Bungalows LP/The Becker Group Inc. sued the city in November for taking too much time to hold a hearing on proposed affordable housing at multiple sites, including the Montgomery Street property. That complex was to have 67 low-income and moderate units. The city approved a settlement agreement with the developer in December.

Now, the project on the one site will have 12 units for moderate-income earners or those earning 120% of area median income and three low-income units or for those earning 80% of area median income. In Ventura County, the area median income is $123,500 for a family of four.

To qualify for a unit, a one-person household earning $103,750 annually is considered moderate income and $74,400 is considered low income. A four-person household earning $148,200 is also considered moderate and $106,250 is considered low.

The 15 studio apartments will have electric appliances, and the site will have 15 parking spaces, according to the staff report.

One building in the complex will have three units. A second building, with two stories, will have seven units. A third building will have five units on a partial two-story building.

The inspiration for the design is a regional California farmhouse and ranch house structure, according to the report. The project will have drought-tolerant and native landscaping that complies with the city’s landscaping ordinance.

The complex will also have a central courtyard, access to a storage room and laundry room and a bike storage area.

A message left with Becker was not returned by deadline Tuesday.

Wes Woods II covers West County for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at wesley.woodsii@vcstar.com, 805-437-0262 or @JournoWes.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Ojai Planning Commission to discuss affordable housing proposal