Rural Agoura site for custom homes

Gated community
not typical of
Agoura Hills
By Stephanie Bertholdo
bertholdo@theacorn.com

Plans are underway to build 81 custom homes in the western Santa Monica Mountains, off Kanan and Cornell Roads, adjacent to Agoura Hills. The 320-acre property, which will be known as Triangle Ranch, is about one-third mile south of the 101 Freeway in an unincorporated area of Los Angeles.

Vance Moran, owner of Whizin’s Mall in Agoura Hills, has owned the property for about 45 years and has tried usuccessfully on several occasions to develop the site. His current partner is the Sage Community Group.

Triangle Ranch originally called for 245 homes, but has been reduced to 81 custom homes. Eighty-five percent of the site, or 271 acres, will be preserved as open space, according to Penny Boehm, vice president of TomTomlim Associates, the public relations firm promoting the project.

The architecture of the homes will be determined by the builder and probably will retain a "rural feel," Boehm said.

The Triangle Ranch homes are expected to be a minimum of 4,000 square feet, with lot sizes ranging from one-third acre to two full acres. Prices will range from about $1 million to over $5 million, Boehm said.

The development is proposed as a gated community, a feature that generally has been frowned upon by Agoura Hills officials.

"We do not want a gated community," Agoura Hills Mayor Ed Corridori said.

Since the development is outside the city limits, Agoura Hills has no final say over the project. But Corridori noted that the Los Angeles Regional Planning Commission takes the city’s suggestions seriously.

Corridori and other council members agree that the homes should be "clustered." The tight grouping, Corridori said, reduces the need for additional roadways and preserves views and animal habitats.

A Tom Tomlin report says the project will have minimal impact on Medea Creek, local wildlife, and police and fire services. More than 100 oak trees will be spared, and a minimum of a 100 new oak trees will be planted around the development.

The study predicts Triangle Ranch will add 81 children to the Las Virgenes Unified School District and generate approximately $865,000 in revenue.

"The number is equally divided between elementary, middle school and high school youth," Boehm said.

An environmental impact report will be prepared to study a variety of issues, including traffic, public health, safety and welfare, emergency services, and other economic impacts.

"Triangle Ranch demonstrates that the need for new housing and the values we hold for preserving the environment and open space can be successfully integrated," said Moran in a press release. "Smart, responsible planning makes it possible."

Construction of the homes could begin within 18 months following government approval.