Dear Tiny House Enthusiast,

Because many of you attended the last meeting at City Hall in March (standing room only), the meeting was a huge success! Thank you all so much.

Watch the video from previous meetings on March 16th HERE and April 20th HERE.

For the past several weeks, we've been meeting with Planning Commissioners (Chester Jagiello & Kathy Nolan) and City Council members behind the scenes. They have been very supportive and have given valuable feedback to ensure a positive outcome.

At the last meeting on April 20th, the Planning Commission unanimously agreed to allow tiny homes on wheels as a second dwelling and has forwarded their recommendation on to the City Council for their consideration.

These are great victories, so let's keep the momentum going...

PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDAR:
May 24th, Tuesday, 6pm at Ojai City Hall. This is the meeting to attend! The City Council is scheduled to hear a presentation from Dan Fitzpatrick at which time they will decide whether or not to allow Tiny Homes as a second dwelling.

Attendance by LOCAL tiny home enthusiasts is critical! If you're an Ojai resident, we strongly encourage you to give a 3 minute presentation discussing the challenges of finding affordable housing in Ojai, and how tiny homes can provide a solution to our housing crisis.

We have a Facebook page for Ojai Tiny House Community. If you're an Ojai resident, please join the group so you can get updates on the latest news. Click HERE

Thanks in advance everyone! Together we can make a difference... because something this BIG, takes a village!

MAY 21st, SATURDAY, 10am-4pm TINY HOME VILLAGE TOUR
Ojai Valley Green Coalition (OVGC) will have its Annual Green Living Tour with a special tour of the Tiny Home Village. There will be 3-4 tiny homes on tour, each uniquely designed. The location will be in downtown Ojai near City Hall.

My tiny house debuted at this event many years ago and it was incredible! This year we'll have several tiny houses demonstrating what a Tiny Housing Village can look like, with outdoor courtyards, green gardens, electric vehicles and rainwater harvesting systems.

IN SEARCH OF TINY HOUSES FOR TINY HOME VILLAGE We're looking for tiny houses to showcase as part of a Tiny House Village in Ojai! This is a great opportunity to highlight your craftsmanship and innovation for small spaces - all for a good cause! If interested, contact me for details with photos of your house. The sooner the better!

UNVEILING OF NEW DESIGN: SOL POD MOBILE STUDIO We’re excited to announce our latest innovation, and we couldn't be more pleased with the design. Built on a 16' trailer, SOL POD is lighter, smaller, and completely self-sufficient. Designed to be multi-purpose, it can be used as a backyard cottage, office space, or art studio... Be the first to see SOL POD at the Tiny Home Village!

I am pleased to announce that the International Code Council (ICC) Ventura Region Chapter had requested a presentation to address building codes as it relates to tiny houses on wheels. I invited tiny house expert builder Andrew Morrison to give the presentation after his travels from Brazil and SF. Andrew graciously accepted the invitation and flew to Los Angeles to give the presentation in Ventura County. On March 19th, Andrew presented in front of code officials, building inspectors, and plan checkers throughout Ventura County and beyond.

After a successful meeting with 30 code officials, this is what Andrew had to say:

"I was grateful to receive the welcome that I did and was pleasantly surprised to hear the support from many voices within the group. The overwhelming response was that code compliance for tiny houses ON WHEELS is not as far off as we may think. Although not currently easily achievable within the IRC code, the members of this ICC chapter believe that it is something than can be achieved. In fact, I received a message from a District Manager in attendance who said that he is a believer that 'if you can design and engineer it, you can usually build it.' That's a great start and really summarizes the experience I had today." - Andrew Morrison from Tiny House Build

In the spirit of cooperation and collaboration, I believe we have the power to influence public policy. Special thanks to Arlene Peralta of ICC, Daniel Bell for helping to coordinate, and especially to Andrew Morrison for traveling to LA to give the presentation.

“This workshop was everything I expected and more. I am now even more certain of my dreams to live tiny and can’t wait to get started.” – DC Workshop participant

“This was one of the best workshops I have attended. You all were AWESOME. The workshop was extremely informative, thoughtful, funny, and hands on.”
– DC Workshop participant

Learn the basics of how to build a tiny house and decide whether tiny house living is for you. With a cap on 40 participants and 4 experts as instructors, your experience is guaranteed to be unique, intimate and informative.

SPECIAL BONUS: You will get to tour Simply Home Community, a tiny co-housing community in Portland. Feel and experience three (wow!) tiny houses on wheels, such as Lina Menard's the Lucky Penny, the Big House, the garden & woodshop. This is a rare and unique opportunity!

EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT AVAILABLE - save $50 if you register by May 15th

SUBSCRIBE HERE and read previous newsletters HERE