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Kenley - I agree on all three points:

- the ordinance should be City wide. The 600 people who signed on to your citizen initiative were fully supportive of a city wide initiative.

- the ordinance should provide for citizen comment / public hearing. This ordinance should NOT be the end of the line for public involvement on such an important issue.

- the HCD is arbitrary and could very easily be expanded to include for example, Ojai Ave. from the Y down to Gridley. Otherwise we could easily see chain stores from the Y down to Laurel Springs School and Cluff Vista Park.

thanks for your efforts!

Yes, I second Tyler's thanks, and add my agreement that you have whittled down to the three key points:

1) Protect Ojai citywide;
2) Preserve the public hearing/permit process that is in the initiative (and in the Sausalito approach that I understand at least one commissioner expressed interest in); and
3) Use caution with the HCD, and do not embrace it unless it extends along Ojai Ave from the Y to Gridley. (A simple review of the city's proposed map shows why this is necessary - the critical commercial district is at least from the Y to Gridley. The formula business issue is not the right place to fundamentally redefine our commercial district - if we are going to create an HCD in which formula businesses are restricted, make it contiguous at least with the current commercial district along Ojai Ave.).

Regarding the HCD, it seems so arbitrary. Why wouldn't a downtown historic district include Bart's Books? Aberge restaurant? the Ojai Valley Inn?

I was at the Planning Commission meeting when the city manager said the HCD was created by the Historic Commission after city staff asked them to envision where they'd like to see signs saying: you're now entering Ojai's historic commercial district.

I wasn't at the Historical Commission meeting when the HCD was developed, but I wonder if the commissioners were properly informed about the chain store topic, other cities that have ordinances, etc. Adding the HCD is an amendment to the city's general plan. I wonder if the public realizes this. If the HCD gets approved in conjunction with the chain store issue, I think the HCD needs to be much larger.

Troubling that Planning has delay it
and for who's benefit and under
who's advice? Members are
very bright and experienced at what
they do- this makes them look less
so. They suffer from ailment known
as "group think" and in the past have not questioned major projects changing the complexion of Ojai from now on, such as Bryant Industrial Plan, now this.

One answer would be had the city honestly engaged
initiative proponents , enlisted their help in
crafting a meaningful and even stronger city-wide
ordinance than what is in the initiative, and enacted it
before Mr. Neufeld's submission deadline.

If the city is honest in the desire to do something
about the chains issue, they will engage Mr. Neufeld
immediately. To prove their honesty, perhaps they can
include in the final measure a provision requiring a
vote of the people to amend or repeal the ordinance.
In the alternative, the city can continue with its
transparent attempt to sideline the initiative with a
Trojan-horse city proposal, that creates a huge new
open invitation to chains in most of the city, while
"banning" chains in an artificial, legally suspect
tiny so-called historical district. What a farce.

January 2, 2006 Envisioning Ojai Project: Imagine yourself leaving Ojai right now, not to return for another 25 years. Once you return to Ojai in 25 years, you think, “Wow, Ojai is a really great place!” What is it about the City of Ojai that leads you to your conclusion?

"What I envision in 25 years is a town with a firmly intact slow growth policy, no chain stores, thriving tourism and eco-tourism industries, and a balanced budget that accomodates education, emergency services, the arts, maintenance and general public welfare. I see a town that can exist off the power grid, with well-developed local energy sources, including wind and solar. I see most local transportation in small, electric and hydrogen 2, 3 and 4-wheel vehicles, available to residents and tourists. I see that the business incentives for green businesses twenty years prior have paid off handsomely. I see cheap ultra fast broadband available to everyone, residents and tourists. I see wireless power distribution, resulting in the removal of all unsightly power lines. I see a thriving visitors bureau, providing holographic tours, coupons and other local information beamed directly to super-phones that can get reception anywhere."

Thanks to John Mirk, one of Ojai's Planning Commissioners, for the heads-up.

Pete, are you saying that your quote was made by John Mirk? Please confirm.

Pete was cutting and pasting from an ojaiblog.com entry of mine. The Planning Commission had posed the question as an agenda item, and the above quote was my vision for Ojai. I was thanking John Mirk for the heads-up on the agenda item.

http://www.ojaiblog.com/2006/01/ojai_planning_c.html

(thought it sounded familiar ;)

I attributed a quote from Ojai Envisioning Project, JAN 2, 06 to to planning commissioner John Mirk. I attended the meeting which is my memory of that quote, so if it is erroneous, please accept my sincere apology to all parties concerned. PL