New hotel coming to Agoura Hills

By Stephanie Bertholdo Acorn Staff Writer

J.H. Snyder Company of Los Angeles and HBF Holdings LLC of San Diego were given the green light at last week’s Agoura Hills City Council meeting to build a 125-unit Hilton Homewood Suites Hotel as part of the Oak Creek residential and commercial project. It’s on the north side of Canwood Street, east of Kanan Road.

The multiple-structure, extended-stay hotel was approved by a 4-1 vote, with City Councilman John Edelston opposed. In December, Edelston appealed a unanimous decision by the Agoura Hills Planning Commission that would have allowed the plan to proceed.

Edelston’s appeal was heard at last week’s Agoura Hills City Council meeting and it was denied after hours of discussion that weighed the project’s pros and cons.

Edelston was unconvinced that a hotel was the best use of the land, but he hinted that he might have approved a smaller proposal. He also disapproved of a property site adjustment because he felt that smaller parcels might diminish the prospects of attracting upscale restaurants.

Edelston has said several times that Agoura Hills needs nicer dining establishments.

Noel Heller, representing Hilton, nixed the idea of a smaller hotel, but was willing to rework the design to accommodate City Councilman Ed Corridori’s request to allow more space between two of the buildings.

Agoura Hills Mayor Dan Kuperberg said, "The land should be open, but it’s not an option for us." Regarding land use, the hotel was a superior idea, according to Kuperberg. Previously proposed were two office buildings totaling 85,000 square feet on two parcels.

The semi-rural ambience of Agoura Hills—or the loss of it due to a hotel—was also discussed. The freeway corridor was always considered a commercial area, said Corridori, adding that the city always placed priorities on "vistas of open space, pathways to open space and no gated communities." Although Agoura Hills isn’t farmland, Corridori said, residents will continue to have a connection with open space.

The hotel will include three three-story buildings and a single-story lobby/registration area with a 975-square foot meeting room. The one- and two-bedroom units will vary from about 437 to 960 square feet. Each will feature full kitchen amenities.

Heller said that the proposed hotel is compatible with its location in a semi-rural area. Rather than one large building, the hotel was divided into four structures with varying roof lines.

Other factors were rehashed, including traffic. The hotel will generate fewer vehicle trips compared to the office buildings that were previously expected for the site, according to authorities.

The knoll by the creek will stay, but it will be difficult to see from the freeway, a city official said.

The contemporary design of the hotel will be similar to the style of the Agoura Hills Civic Center.

Louis Masry, vice president of government affairs, Agoura/Las Virgenes/Oak Park Chamber of Commerce, requested that the city council pay for an economic study to ensure that the area could support another hotel and that chamber members in the hospitality industry wouldn’t be hurt.

"We have to protect our current businesses," he said.

New hotels are also being planned for Thousand Oaks and Westlake Village.

Council members told Masry that it’s the applicant’s responsibility to conduct such studies. Any kind of development proposal has financial risks, they said.

A host of other issues were recapped, including concerns about the Kanan/101 Freeway interchange project, sidewalk sizes, safety issues, architectural design and public notification policies.

President Jess Thomas of Old Agoura Homeowner’s Association questioned whether the hotel was the "best use of the site for the existing residents of the city."

The majority of council members agreed it was. After tweaking the architectural design to allow for more space between the buildings, construction will begin, probably within a few weeks.