OJAI : Planners Approve 2 Members’ Project

The Ojai Planning Commission has approved a project involving two of its members.

Under the proposal, three apartments at 304, 306 and 308 E. Aliso St. will be demolished and replaced with five others.

The project’s architect is Marc Whitman, and one of the property owners is Lynn McConnell, both commission members.

Also listed as owners are Alan Rains, who resigned recently as chairman of the city’s Redevelopment Commission, and Tom Farmer.

Whitman and McConnell disqualified themselves from the deliberations and abstained from the vote. Rains spoke for the applicants.

The commission was asked to approve the architectural review for the project and to grant two building allotments.

Under the city’s growth control ordinance, only four apartment allotments are available each year, and one has already been used.

The city Planning Department said an environmental impact report would not be required because the project is too small.

Asked if the project would grow, Rains said the group’s goal is to build nine units on the site.

In response to a question by Commissioner Rhonda Short-Moore, Planning Director Bill Prince said that if the group had applied for a nine-unit project, an environmental report would have been required.

But since the initial project only calls for five units, it is exempt.

Short-Moore cast the lone vote against the project.