Debated Ojai Apartments Now Reality : Housing: The city’s first such complex is a hit with residents, and the project already has a long waiting list.

Lilia Barragan still has painful memories whenever she ponders her one-year experience living in the dingy, $550-a-month apartment she and her husband, Abel, rented last year in Ojai.

The 25-year-old mother of two children--4-year-old Abel Jr. and 1-month-old Stacey--remembers how she and her husband could barely afford to rent the tiny, dark two-bedroom apartment on her husband’s $250-a-week salary.

Their financial situation looked even more bleak when their landlord decided to raise the rent by $20.

But on April 1, the Barragans received a blessing. They moved into one of 21 new apartments in the first low-income housing project ever built in Ojai.

The $2.5-million Montgomery Oaks project, just a few blocks north of downtown Ojai, is an upscale apartment complex with a clubhouse, an outdoor basketball court and a soon-to-be built playground.

The developer of the complex, Cabrillo Economic Development Corp. of Saticoy, is hosting a dedication ceremony June 26 to honor those who contributed various low-interest loans to keep the project afloat.

The project, however, did not come without controversy. Many residents, including current Mayor Steve Olsen, vehemently opposed the development on grounds that it would add to the area’s population density and attract more low-income residents to the city.

Nonetheless, the Barragans are enjoying their newer, more spacious two-bedroom apartment that costs them a more affordable $532-a-month.

“This is a great place compared to the other apartment we lived in,” Lilia said. “The rent for the other houses and apartments are too much. This is a great place to live.”

Lilia’s brother and sister-in-law, Sergio and Mary Banuet, also rent an apartment at the complex and are happy because their 2-year-old son, Brian, can play in an area that is safe.

“We needed space for our baby,” Mary Banuet said. “Now he looks much happier than he did when we were at the other place.”

Karen Flock, project manager for Cabrillo, said the monthly rent ranges between $347 and $649, depending on the family’s income. As a resident’s income increases, he or she will be re-evaluated. Residents moved in April 1.

Tracey Lee, resident manager of the complex, said the 21 apartments are filled to capacity with nearly 70 people. She said the complex receives nearly four applications every week and already has a long list of prospective tenants hoping to rent an apartment.

Cabrillo, formed in 1981, was also the developer of a 150-unit senior housing complex in Santa Paula, which just recently had its dedication gala.

“There are a lot of nice people that live here in the complex,” said Lee, who also has an apartment in the complex. “It’s been very quiet here.”

Nearly half the cost of the 1.9-acre site was subsidized by state, federal and city affordable housing loans, including a $250,000 donation from the Ojai Redevelopment Agency, Ojai City Manager Andrew Belknap said.

The Ojai City Council voted 4 to 1 in 1991 to pass the project despite a no vote from Olsen and strong objections from residents and several business leaders in the community. Residents went so far as to form a group called Citizens Against the Montgomery Oaks Project.

Olsen, who was asked to attend the ceremony but declined because he planned to be out of town, said he voted against the project because it would increase the population of Ojai’s second busiest area.

“It’s a handsome project and it serves a need for the community, yet it’s increased the density and made it almost unbearable,” Olsen said. “We have had an increase in traffic congestion since it opened.”

Darrell Pilcher, one of the members and earlier spokesmen for Citizens Against the Montgomery Oaks Project, refused to comment on the complex and how it’s affecting the community.

Pilcher and others initially complained that the City Council had not given alternative sites enough consideration.

Ojai Councilman Robert McKinney said he does not regret voting for the project because it has turned out to be a plus for the community.

“It was controversial, but we needed the low-income housing in the city,” McKinney said. “Some people were worried about the type of people it would attract. I just didn’t buy it.”