Cottages To Be Converted To Condos

Aliso Street project gets Planning Commission OK

By Nao Braverman
Ojai’s planning commissioners are granted the delicate task of advising developers on how to tailor their projects to fit the city’s character and cater to its needs.
Balancing Ojai’s sense of community and small-town feel, commissioners adopted Richard Colla’s design review for his proposed Aliso Street condominium development at Wednesday night’s meeting, but asked him to ditch plans to build a gate that would separate the complex from the rest of the neighborhood.
In many ways, Colla’s proposed at “Cottages Among the Flowers” on 312 W. Aliso St. is exactly what Ojai’s commissioners look for in a development.
Instead of building 10 new units which would increase the density and, consequently, traffic, Colla is refurbishing and expanding eight units in his seven existing cottages and building only two more to make 10 quaint, but reasonably modern, condominiums.
Built in 1929 by noteworthy Ventura County architect Harold Burkett, the existing cottages are a historical landmark and one well worth preserving, said the project architect Marc Whitman. Colla, who purchased them about 18 years ago, said he recognized their aesthetic value but wanted to redevelop them to accommodate modern lifestyles. That meant expanding them to a reasonable size and upgrading amenities, while keeping their vintage look. But in order to make the project cost effective he would have to build two more units, he said.
The project proposal also called for a gate on the west side of the complex which was rejected by most commissioners.
Though Colla said that the gate was intended to provide a safe atmosphere for residents, commissioners retorted that Ojai generally rejected gates as a precedent because they have an unwelcoming and exclusive feel.
Moreover, despite the general perception, statistics have shown that gates don’t actually deter crime and sometimes encourage it, said Commissioner Susan Weaver.
The projected review was adopted by the commission with a request for a better landscaping plan, with particular consideration for the property’s many oak trees and no electric gate.
Two commissioners, John Mirk and Paul Crabtree voted against adoption of the project’s design review, because they felt it needed more work.
Also at the meeting, planning commissioners approved a .25 square foot increase Ron Polito’s project on the corner of Cañada Street and Ojai Avenue, as well as a multi-tenant sign for four of the tenants. Jim and Rob’s Fresh Grill, Noah’s Apothecary Natural Pet supplies, moving from its East Matilija location, and a new coffee and tea shop, among others, will occupy the new business complex.
The design review permit for the installation of a pre-fabricated metal storage and maintenance building for the Ojai Valley Community Hospital was also approved after a relatively agreeable meeting with neighbors. The hospital staff agreed to build a precast concrete fence to function as a noise and visual barrier to shield the facility from neighbors.
The fence is expected to provide a sound barrier equivalent to that of a concrete block wall, according to planner Kanika Kith. Gary Wild, CEO of Community Memorial Hospital that partners with the Ojai Valley Community Hospital, said that staff was committed to making sure that garbage and recycle pickups did not occur early in the morning, which has been a continual cause for complaint from neighboring residents.