Ojai council directs staff to prepare conveyance to Habitat and start a community land trust process

The Ojai City Council moved on Tuesday to advance the Montgomery Street affordable‑housing project while also launching work on a community land trust.

In a 3–2 roll call vote, councilmembers directed staff to prepare the conveyance paperwork to transfer the city’s 408–410 North Montgomery property to Habitat for Humanity for $1, to initiate the Surplus Land Act process required for city property disposition, and to return with a proposal for an ad hoc committee to begin creating a community land trust (CLT).

The motion grew out of an extended staff briefing and council discussion that presented three options for the site: retain city ownership and offer a ground lease to Habitat; convey fee title to Habitat for $1 so it can build five units; or pursue a CLT that would own the land with leases or other mechanisms to preserve long‑term affordability. City Attorney (staff) explained that the city’s ability to enter below‑market leases is limited to 55 years under applicable constraints and that the Surplus Land Act process is required before any lease or conveyance.

City staff presented a quick local market estimate prepared by a realtor because a formal appraisal was not available in time. That estimate put vacant value in the range of roughly $700,000–$795,000 and suggested that, after development, each of the five units might have a market floor value near $1,000,000; staff framed those numbers as approximate comparables rather than final appraisals.

Representatives of Habitat for Humanity described their model and timeline. A Habitat representative told the council construction would take about nine to 12 months and said Habitat typically requires homeowner sweat equity, has resale controls, and often exercises a first right of refusal if an owner seeks to sell before agreement terms end.

Supporters of a CLT, including residents who said a trust would preserve local control and perpetual affordability, urged the council to keep the land in public hands or transfer it to a community steward rather than convey it outright. Other residents and several councilmembers argued Habitat’s experience and capacity make immediate conveyance an efficient way to produce affordable housing now; several speakers proposed running parallel tracks—allow construction to move forward under Habitat’s model while city staff and community volunteers stand up a CLT for future stewardship.

Councilmember debate focused on tradeoffs between speed and permanence, financing implications, and maintenance responsibilities. One councilmember noted that CLTs typically require nonprofit formation, bylaws, and startup funding and that the city would need to decide how much control to retain. Another emphasized the practical limits of city staff capacity and urged not to delay housing that could be completed within a year.

The motion approved Tuesday does not itself approve a conveyance or finalize lease terms. It directs staff to prepare the necessary documentation to convey the property to Habitat for Humanity, to start the Surplus Land Act process required for disposition of city land, and to bring back an ad hoc committee structure and schedule for creating a CLT. Those items will return to the council for formal consideration and vote. The council also asked staff to continue outreach and provide the public updates on timing and next steps.

The council ended the meeting by asking staff to post the revised working agenda and provide copies to councilmembers; the conveyance and CLT proposals will be scheduled for future public hearings and staff reports.