Apache virtual server setup and management best practice?

I know this is probably a little off topic but I figured it was the best
place to ask..

I want to setup a few apache name based virtial servers..
I want my directory structure as follows..

/var/www/www.domain1.com/
html
logs
cgi-bin
/var/www/www.domain2.com/
html
logs
cgi-bin
/var/www/www.domain3.com/
html
logs
cgi-bin
etc..

The Apache side is easy enough to do editing the .conf file..

I want to create one or more users whe will have ssh / scp access to the
server in order to manage the domain and web content they are
responsible for..

The problem is with the file permissions.. If a user logs in and goes to
/var/www/www.domainX.com/html and starts creating files or uploading
content the permissions often get screwed up and Apache has issues..

Someone mentiond using a symlink in the users home directory to the html
directory would help, someone else said put the apache user into all the
user's groups so apache would have permission to all the files..

So it sounds to me like everyone has this problem, which means someone
must have the best solution.. How do all those "Control Panel" systems
and web hosting ISP's do it? Care to share with us the way its done?

Thanks..

Later..