OJAI : 41-Home Project Not Feasible, Planners Say
The owner of 18 acres off Ayers Avenue in Ojai is not likely to win approval for the development of 41 homes, Ojai Planning Commission members said.
Arthur Belchen presented initial plans to the commission late Wednesday for a proposed subdivision on acreage zoned for both agricultural and residential use.
But commissioners said the project is not feasible because, among other things, it does not comply with the city’s General Plan and would generate 80 or more trips a day along California 33.
Belchen is proposing the 41-unit subdivision in an area that requires officials to deny such projects if they would add to peak-hour traffic along California 33 in Casitas Springs.
Also going against Belchen is a rule in Ojai that only 12 single-family and four multifamily units can be approved each year, said Planning Director Bill Prince.
Belchen, however, vowed to fight.
“They’ll do anything they can to stop it, but frankly they’re not going to,” he said. “I anticipate taking it to court.”
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