The city of Thousand Oaks this week became the first in Ventura County to require developers of subsidized affordable housing to set aside one-third of the units for nonsmokers.

The council adopted the resolution in a unanimous vote Tuesday night.

Deputy City Manager Scott Mitnick said that while many cities across the nation have set aside nonsmoking units in buildings, he was not aware of such a citywide policy in other parts of the country.

Councilman Ed Masry suggested at one point that the council approve a policy that would require half of all affordable-housing units be nonsmoking, but others on the council underscored the challenge in creating an agreement among developers, anti-smoking advocates and those concerned about the rights of renters.

"Any time a local government starts prohibiting legal activity in a private residence, I have an issue," Councilman Dennis Gillette said.

He said that when he worked on affordable-housing issues in the past, housing officials had to take pains to ensure renters in affordable units were not stigmatized, even making sure the roofing material matched those of neighboring houses.

"I can support one-third," he said. "Past that, I can't support it."

City staff will monitor the policy, which affects only future affordable-housing units, and report back to the council in one year. Several council members expressed confidence that a higher percentage of housing units could be set aside in the future.

Anti-smoking advocates were happy with the decision.

Esther Schiller, executive director of Safe, Smokefree Air for Everyone, praised the council for taking the lead in Ventura County. She has said the group plans to campaign for similar policies in other cities in the county.

Last year, the council held off on passing a nonsmoking resolution until the city could seek an outside legal opinion to determine whether privacy rights were at issue. Outside attorneys advised the city that the resolution would not violate renters' rights.

Supporters and skeptics of the resolution both cited the rights of affordable-housing tenants.

Doug Tapking, the executive director of the Area Housing Authority, said such renters already faced slim choices and were being unfairly targeted. Schiller, for her part, contended that low-income renters were the least likely to complain about drifting secondhand smoke.