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Mixed use is one thing, but to put/allow businesses in those mixed use areas that are noisy is another. Those in mixed use areas that are simply residents, still, should expect a calm, a normalcy, to their experience at home. When putting business interest is such locations, such business should expect to respect this condition, just as they do when they return home after work to their respected neighborhoods.

It appears something is getting out of hand there. I remember when the Lavender Inn had some kind outdoor activity with music, I could hear it on Drown st. Was that necessary for all present to have a good time. Don't get me wrong, I like the L.I., and they were quieter after that particular event. I don't know if they received some flack, but I appreciated the toning down, whether coincidental or not.

I can't imagine what it is like to be there on the same street when such a gatherings takes place. One justifiable acronym: NIMBY. Thanks

i live in the area, and am not yet connected to the potential aural disruptions that the Inn may cause. we can hope that they will bear their clever name in mind as they proceed.

frankly, as a visually connected person, i'm MUCH more uncomfortable with the duck lady's space next door. i literally shield my eyes from it and walk in the street when i pass it, so as not to get dizzy from the sight or activate a quacking motion sensor.

The trick about all of this is between what Inn Harmony says it wants to create and what it's actually asking for in permits and status. The owners say they want to create a quite, peaceful atmosphere of rose gardens and fountains for their B&B. However, they are asking to be a hotel rather than a B&B, and they are wanting to regularly host large outdoor functions with music, alcohol and guests.
The Inn hosted a wedding on June 2, 2007. There were strobe lights, amplified music and announcements coming over the loudspeaker that could be heard from quite a distance until at least 10:30 pm. Parking was difficult problematic as well. Some of the neighbors got so upset from trying to enjoy an evening on their deck or an evening inside at home that they have written letters that are publicly available for viewing at City Hall to try to change what is happening. They have already witnessed what havoc such events might cause.
What the Inn is asking for is a permit to serve alcohol, a special outdoor events license for up to 176 patrons, a deck expansion upon which they want to serve dinner and host functions and an additional structure for the Inn owners. They also are at this moment, going in under 'hotel status' which encompasses the potential for a much larger structure as well as other guidelines.
If you take the time to look at the website for Inn Harmony, what they advertise is "you will fall in love with the serenity" and "fall in love with the quiet pace" and the Inn owners also talk about how this "intimate inn" will "redefine your expectations of B&B's". All of this is lovely and would so suit Ojai.
What is discordant is that Inn Harmony is not seeking B&B licensing which is more appropriate to their size and what they call themselves but rather seeking a hotel license which allows for a much larger, more complex enterprise AND that they are seeking to host multiple outdoor functions with liquor, amplified music and large crowds.
The neighborhood around Inn Harmony is not the heart of downtown Ojai where mostly businesses exist though there are a few scattered in the area but rather it is surrounded by one business and 3 dwellings as well as tightly knit neighborhoods filled with homes on mostly smaller lots. This hotel type of structure will cause a major disruption for its neighbors, especially if they are allowed a liquor license and the special permit for outdoor functions.
I appreciate that the Lavender Inn sought to accomodate neighbors by limiting their functions. I also see that area as surrounded mostly businesses that wouldn't be as effected by functions whereas on this part of Signal St. the neighbors have already felt disrupted by one event.
I believe the property is beautiful and the owners are right in creating a B&B in that location but that is not at all what they are requesting. If plans go through as they are requesting, Inn Harmony will create anything BUT harmony for its neighbors.

My name is William Cory. I reside at 107-A E. Oak St. near downtown Ojai. I moved to the Ojai valley more than five years ago, and value highly the unique aspects that make this place such a standout in Southern California. I am a third generation Southern Californian, and grew up in Claremont, where my grandfather had groves of citrus. I grew up with memories of nature, blended and balanced with urban living -- much as it is here. By the time I was in my early teens, smog was killing off the citrus and encroaching urban sprawl had developers at my grandad's door with offers that he ultimately chose to accept after struggling without success to find ways to save the declining health of his orange and lemon groves.

Since that time I have lived in other locations that were beautiful, and watched unchecked development come in to capitalize on their specialness and desirability, without any seeming consciousness or effort to harmonize with the community that they are profiting on. I have seen, more than once, that by the time they finish with the place whatever was serene and "special" about the area is long gone -- and that is usually about the time that I am gone too.

When the property at 308 N. Signal was sold, I was told by the workers that came in to revamp it that the new owners were putting in a Bed & Breakfast. That didn't alarm me. It is a beautiful home, and would be a charming site for such a venture.

I have since learned that the owner's plans have become somewhat more ambitious and extravagant, that they now seek to be a Hotel, with expansion plans for outdoor dining, alcohol sales until 2:00 AM, outdoor events, and a manager's residence to be built in back. I, and many others in the surrounding neighborhoods got a taste of the impact that that will have on the peacefulness that we treasure when a wedding was recently held at the property. Our peace, simply put, was shattered. Strobe lights, an amplified DJ, and the noise that attends alcohol consumption and festivities lasted until almost 10:30 PM. I have since learned that there was a 10:00 PM curfew which they ignored, and that the police had to respond to irate calls to get them to honor their agreement -- this does not speak well for their consideration or respect for their neighbors.

I have actually lived in a neighborhood, in another town, where a similar venture was muscled through over the protests of the local homeowners. I witnessed the fallout of that ill conceived project in the form of serious parking issues, litter, late hour noise, and the occaisional inebriated guest relieving himself on either my or my neighbors yard.

I know that "progress" can't be stopped, but it must be managed in a fashion that preserves the integrity of the community. If it doesn't, we all ultimately lose, and the Southern California landscape is littered with examples of this. Please, add my plea to the many others that I am sure you have recieved to not approve this ill concieved expansion. It is beyond ironic that the proposed name for this venture is "Inn Harmony". It is not appropriate for this area, and reflects (on the part of the new owners) a serious disconnect from, lack of sensitivity and awareness to, and ultimately a disregard for the "Harmony" of the surrounding neighborhoods that we currently live in.

Respectfully Yours,

William Cory

The era of hysterical 'Progress' (abuse of people and planet) has played itself out here. The people of the Ojai have determined not only that we wish to create a positive IMAGE for visitors to our sacred Valley -- yet also that we wish to LIVE a life of some peace and meaning, love and culture, health and greening.

Not merely seeming, wishful dreaming ... true wholesome being!

Rumors are flying. Is there anyone who really cares to hear the truth because no one is asking me and I am the one who knows the facts.

To begin, before purchasing the property at 308 N. Signal we asked the city if it could be used as a B&B inn. We were assured that it was zoned to be a hotel, but not a B&B. For the difference between a B&B and hotel you will have to ask the city. We paid a lot of money for the property and we have since invested the total of our life savings to turn the property into what we hope will be regarded as the most beautiful hotel in town. A lady from the Ojai Valley Inn said it would be her first choice to send their overbooking to us because of the beauty and charm we have built into it. We have spent a lot on the landscaping, as well, because we wanted the public to have a beautiful garden to look at. We plan to open the gardens to the public.

So, what started the entire ruckus? Two things. One, we had a private wedding; the one and only one! If the noise was above code it is only that we did not know it was causing a problem. For this we apologize to those who were disturbed. We have since opted to not hold any further amplified events on the property until we have had a study done and have a means for monitoring noise levels on hand to keep noise below city code level.

After speaking with the owner of the Lavender Inn we had already decided to limit public events to two a month during the summer months and to end them by 9pm rather then 10pm so people would be gone by the 10pm curfew. We also did not feel we wanted to subject ourselves and the property to the turmoil. And a wedding every weekend would have been unfair to our neighbors.

As for the amount of noise generated - when the police came by at about 8pm they did not ask us to reduce the sound level. They only reminded us that the party had to be ended by 10pm.

The police came back at about 8:30 in response to a 911 call when someone had gotten sick. We had a trained paramedic in attendance and he took over which might explain why the 911 call was dropped as stated in the article.

The second problem at hand is we have a neighbor who does not want to lose her view of the oak trees on our property. We had a request in our plan to “extend” the second story of our existing two story house an additional 20’. The neighbor has been vocal about stopping the extension.

The reason we dropped the request for the second story extension at this time and opted to not hold any amplified events is because it was advised by our architect (one of the planning commissioners and the planning department) that any controversial issues might postpone the Planning Commission’s making a decision regarding other aspects – adding a ramp, a new door, an extension to the deck, eating on the deck, and serving wine on the deck. This would further impact our already late opening date.

People who live in the downtown zone are made aware of the situation when they purchase their property and they have to live with the possibility that there will be commercial changes. Those who have lived through zoning changes had a chance to do something about restricting change years ago. Now that we have invested everything we have in the world into this project, is not the time to tell us we have to live with less then the city code allows. Lee Clukey 933-0725

Another correction from the owner of the inn - One writer, Kate, misstates fact - we are not planning to serve dinner. We will only be serving breakfast. We do plan to serve wine on the deck in the afternoon and any food service is limited to guests only by city code. We are not going to be a hotel restaurant. We do not have plans for any functions on the deck - which I might add is only going to be about 10' wide after we extend it 7'and about 20' long.

As for hotel status - the city made it clear at the outset that we would have a lot more trouble requesting to be a B&B then to be a hotel. I have not gotten a clear explanation on why.

We did request that our guest park in the city parking lot a block away and we even hired a limo service to shuttle them to and from the lot. Had they followed our request fewer people would have been disturbed.

As for building "AN ADDITIONAL STRUCTURE" for the inn owners to live in - the current structure for us is 1200 sf. I had planned to "EXTEND" the second floor 20 feet for a living room for us. The current structure is a one bedroom, office, kitchen and dining area.

To eliminate everyone's fears about building a ten story hotel - adding more rooms changes the status of the business such that we would have to add a commercial kitchen, and other expensive extras that are not required of a 5 bedroom or smaller hotel or B&B.
B&B's can serve breakfast and afternoon snacks and wine so nothing would change if we downgraded to an inn.

Ojai code does not allow an inn to host a wedding I believe.

I have no idea who told Kate that we planned to serve alcohol until 2am. As I said rumors fly when no one asks for the facts.

Maybe the intention her note is to get people riled up to fight the good fight?

A lot of inflamatory words were used in her note. Please take them for what they are worth - deception!

Lee Clukey 933-0725

Mr. Cory, we had every intension of call the inn a B&B. The city did not want us to do this and said it would be more difficult. In the end I think there is really little difference. We don’t plan to abuse our property rights under city code to host events. It would not serve us to maximize the use of the property at the expense of public outrage. Our private wedding proved we need to reassess the situation. We learned a lot about the neighborhood and sound. The DJ at the wedding told me he could have created a “sound bubble” but hadn’t thought it necessary. We will learn more about sound and proceed from there. Until then rest assured you will not have a repeat performance of June 2.

If I misstated something, I apologize. I am working hard trying to keep up with the ever-changing issues and trying to continually educate myself about all of these issues.

Oh. And I didn't put anything about 2 am, I think you are getting my letter confused William Cory's. I am not trying to get people 'riled', but rather I am trying to get all the issues and what they mean on the table as they have been unclear and every-changing. If someone read the OVN article, they might think all requests are withdrawn and there are no more questions to be answered.

First let me state that I am FOR a beautiful, serene, B&B and think that would only add to downtown and it is obvious that the Clukey's have worked hard to create a beautiful environment that only adds to the neighborhood.

I am not suggesting that the owners of Inn Harmony wish to continue expanding but I am concerned that if they do choose to, or if they turn around the sell the property for one reason or another, that property being listed as a hotel might create opportunities for expansion in the future that wouldn't suit that area or that property. B&B license seems more appropriate to the usage desired and will not create the potential for future issues to my knowledge.

It is also my understanding from reading the publicly available letters, that the person who "wants to keep her view of the oak trees" was also very concerned that her property would be "boxed in" and blocked from sunlight and air flow by the 2-story structure and that she listed other such properties that had been boxed by larger structures in town -- one such example is the house currently for sale on 310 Aliso that is squeezed in on 3 sides by large structures.

I appreciate an open forum with the owners because what the paper wrote left everyone thinking there were no issues on the table and we must first be informed and understand what the potential is for future growth, etc.

It doesn't seem the family wedding would have been an issue if the request for the special outdoor use permit wasn't being asked for, along with the liquor license and the parking for 176 guests, and that listed on the Inn Harmony website is that they host weddings. I think it's great that they are considering limiting the frequency of events and I wonder if that could somehow be written into the permit so there are no more questions on the table.

It seems to me that everyone got up in arms because of the potential of all of these permits, i.e., amplified music, strobe lights, parking and drinking, etc.. and statuses and such being used in particular ways and not being the right amount or size for the property or neighborhood.

I welcome any comments or considerations, truly. I ultimately want everyone to thrive.

lee clukey
Thanks for taking the time to address the concerns. Welcome to Ojai. I am sure that you'll succeed with your gamble. You may not know about the infamous dentist's mini-mansion which mysteriously circumvented countless zoning ordinances over on the corner of Lion and Eucalypstus. Trish can no longer see the mountains and the infamous dentist also tried to steal 10 feet of her property as well. This is just one tale of many that can give you insight into the hair trigger reactions.

I have to say, Mr. Cluckey, that as the newcomer to Ojai it is a mistake to go on the attack in dealing with people's concerns about your project. People in this town have fought long and hard to preserve the beauty and tranquility which attracted you to the valley and have every right to question the effects of a new business.

You are, as you say, the one with the facts. The trick is to enter into an open dialogue with those who have concerns. It seems that you have already heard some concerns and made changes, I applaud that. However, the amount of money you put into the project is of concern to no one but you. I sympathize with the risk, expense, and extremely difficult work of opening a business, but the burden of proof that you will be a good neighbor is on you. And, for long term, having peaceful, even supportive and enthusiastic relationships with your neighbors is worth the extra effort of reaching out to them now.

Keith Helmkamp

Lee,

Thank you for speaking out. I so appreciate you entering the dialogue - no relationship, no matter how casual or intimate, can be healthy without clear communication. I also appreciate the profound investment that you have made in time, energy, and money to this project. No one would begrudge you making a profit on your hard work and invested capital. The only issue is one of impact. Anything that tampers with the unique qualities of Ojai in general, and local neighborhoods specifically, is sure to get people up in arms. The recent scramble to prevent Subway from coming into the downtown area, through a hasty moratorium on all such businesses is only one of many examples.

I'm glad that the wedding turned out to be a learning curve for you. I'm unclear as to how long you have lived in Ojai, but one of the things that makes this area so appealing to me is how fiercely protective this community is of it's unique, and unspoiled qualities. Hopefully, the qualities that make this area such a standout in Southern California are a signifigant part of what drew you to this project to begin with. Qualities that you in turn will, hopefully, both treasure and protect.

I find Kate's commentary and concerns to be both intelligent and reasonable. It is important for all concerned to be fully informed, so that opinions, decisions, and actions can proceed from truth. And as Kate expressed so well: "It seems to me that everyone got up in arms because of the potential of all of these permits, i.e., amplified music, strobe lights, parking and drinking, etc.. and statuses and such being used in particular ways and not being the right amount or size for the property or neighborhood."

I also feel that her her concern about the door being opened for future owners is valid. So please understand that concerns being expressed are not only about your intentions and their potential impact today, but also about our future tomorrows.

On the City of Ojai's website, the agenda for tomorrow's Planning Commission Meeting is listed and this issue is Item #3.
If you click on the link, it lists what the issues being discussed will be, what was retracted and what is currently being requested. It also shows pictures of the property.
Here is the website to the particular page for this issue, should that work http://www.ci.ojai.ca.us/vertical/Sites/{6CAA84A0-9B68-4637-964F-ED4B5D8E7542}/uploads/{036E9294-85ED-4A49-AE3F-B57E202B977C}.PDF
if it doesn't, go to the City of Ojai website at http://www.ci.ojai.ca.us/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={81804EF8-4643-4B71-B667-32923FCDF13F} and click on Item #3.
or http://www.ci.ojai.ca.us/ if the others simply won't work.

you can also find and read the agenda at ojainews.com, where we're posting and archiving all City Council, Planning Commission, Board of Supervisors, and Advisory Council agendas (before the meetings) and minutes (afterward). it's taking us a little time to populate a backlog of past meetings while staying up-to-date with posting of current ones, but it's a pretty concise place to find all these documents.

There is a new article by Nao Braverman listed on both ojainews.com and http://ojaivalleynews.blogspot.com/2007/06/hotel-owner-cancels-outdoor-event-plans.html called "Hotel Owner Cancels Outdoor Event Plans", where it appears Nao got to speak with Mr. Clukey today. It is informative as is the planning commission agenda I and Evan mentioned above, to see what the city is recommending.

People have nothing else to complain about and should know the truth about the story before they start complaining. I know the Clukey's have bent over backwards to please everyone and the least the community can do is get the right story out there. Best of Luck to the Clukey's and can't wait to see the final product.Thanks Chris Z.

There's no need to further open a can of worms.
I'm happy to report that the meeting went well and I think everyone who attended learned more about City regulations, intentions, etc.
I was inspired by how the council handled all the different issues at hand and I believe they went ahead and voted so everything should now be at rest.
Hopefully, any confusions are behind us all.