Ojai, Habitat Advance Five-Home Montgomery Street Tiny Homes Project Amid Ordinance Debate

Habitat for Humanity of Ventura County and the City of Ojai are proceeding with the Montgomery Street Tiny Homes project at 408 N. Montgomery St. to 410 N. Montgomery St., a five-home development that Habitat says will break ground in summer 2026 and that will return to the Ojai Planning Commission for a public hearing on March 4.

The Montgomery Street project will consist of two tiny-home duplex buildings and one single-family home for a total of five homes, developed by Habitat Ventura in partnership with RRM Design Group. Habitat’s model requires prospective homebuyers to contribute sweat equity on their own home or on the homes of others. Darcy Taylor, CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Ventura County, said, “We’re proving that affordable homeownership doesn’t require massive developments. These five tiny homes will create real opportunities for Ojai families who work here, contribute here, but have been priced out of living here. That’s exactly the kind of targeted, community-centered approach Ventura County needs right now.”

The project advances as Ojai works through draft ordinance TA 23-002 to establish a standalone regulatory pathway for moveable tiny houses under proposed Ojai Municipal Code Section 10-2.1712. The exhibit language in the draft ordinance defines a moveable tiny house as “a residential dwelling unit that is accessory to a principal residential dwelling unit located on the same parcel of land, which provides complete independent living quarters for one household;” the draft also includes a finding that adoption of the new section is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act.

Citizenportal and staff materials list numeric limits under consideration: a 440-square-foot maximum, a 14-foot maximum height, and 4-foot side and rear setbacks; design compatibility with the primary residence; allowance of composting toilets where sewer connection is not reasonable; prohibition on connection to private septic for compliance; and a limit of 20 approvals in the first calendar year. City staff reported roughly eight residents have expressed interest under the revised rules.

The move toward a permanent ordinance follows a two-year pilot program the City Council adopted on October 21, 2021, during which only two tiny houses were permitted between 2021 and 2023. City staff, including Community Development Director Lucas Seibert and Assistant Planner Sarah Kameli, have identified inspection costs, pad and hookup costs, and a time-consuming, redundant process as barriers that discouraged applicants. The administrative report prepared June 12, 2024 for the June 19, 2024 Planning Commission meeting recommended that the commission receive information, take public comment, and consider adopting a resolution recommending City Council approval; the report was attested by Planning Commission Chair Steve Quilici and Lucas Seibert.

Applicants and designers preparing plans for the Montgomery Street project or for moveable tiny houses must follow the Community Development Department’s submittal rules: plans drawn to standard Architect or Engineer’s scale with designer contact and license noted, folded to no larger than 8½ x 14 inches, color site photos, and a tree survey showing protection areas. The Community Development Department office is at Ojai City Hall, 401 S. Ventura Street, with hours 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday through Friday and phone (805) 646-5581 ext. 112.

With the March 4 Planning Commission hearing pending and the draft TA 23-002 previously routed through an April 8 council introduction, a May public workshop and a June second reading directed by council, the decisions on numeric caps and technical requirements will directly shape whether Habitat’s five-home Montgomery Street development and future moveable tiny-house applicants fit within Ojai’s emerging regulatory framework.