Bed and Breakfast Inn Proposal Denied

City officials have rejected a proposed bed and breakfast inn that neighbors feared would harm their quiet neighborhood, but left open the possibility the business could open if other development in the area was limited.

The Ojai Planning Commission voted 5 to 2 Wednesday against allowing the five-room Valley View Inn to open in an existing mansion on a 12-acre site atop narrow Signal Street.

At least 50 people spoke during the almost 3 1/2-hour meeting attended by a standing-room-only crowd at City Hall.

“The Planning Commission was concerned for the neighbors’ perception that it could somehow be detrimental to the character of the neighborhood,” Planning Director Bill Prince said. “At least three of the commissioners were willing to consider approval of the project in return for a conservation easement that would preserve the 12 acres of open space in perpetuity.”

Business owner Karen Abernathy said the suggestion would be explored.

Although Ojai has strict growth-control ordinances, the property is zoned to allow five other homes to be built.

“We’ll discuss not developing the land in exchange for the operation of the bed and breakfast,” Abernathy said.

Neighbor Bill Miley, who led the opposition to the project, said he also may be amenable to the trade-off idea. However, neighbors’ concerns about additional traffic on the country thoroughfare remain, he said.

“That would be very intriguing for me to look at,” he said of the conservation easement. “It would protect the land from being overdeveloped. . . . The goal is to make Ojai better and to prevent it from becoming fully developed with asphalt, concrete and structures so that we don’t end up with the San Fernando Valley.”