Agoura Village Build it and they will come, officials say

Agoura Village Build it and they will come, officials sayBy Stephanie Bertholdobertholdo@theacorn.com

The Agoura Village concept in Agoura Hills is closer to becoming a reality now that the development's environmental report and other documents are nearing completion.

The documents will be open for public review by mid-August, according to task force members who recently conducted an Agoura Village workshop.

City officials want the 98acre commercial real estate tract along Agoura Road between Cornell and Kanan roads to become an eclectic, pedestrianfriendly shopping center that combines adult living with artist studios, upscale boutiques and restaurants.

Erik Justesen of RRM Design Group presented an overview of the project to task force members.

The development has been on the drawing boards for about eight years, but last year the architectural design guidelines were finally released, Justesen said.

"I think that the plan is very interesting. . .and very much the heart and soul of Agoura," Justesen said.

He compared Agoura Village to a small European village with shops, activity and a "good connection with the natural environment."

Justesen explained that the current focus is on undeveloped, vacant property. The plan calls for creek restoration, new roadways, and a possible traffic circle at Kanan and Agoura roads.

Justesen said an equestrian center might be part of the plan, too.

Mike Kamino, director of planning and development for the city of Agoura Hills, said that once the urban design plan, the environmental report and other documents are released in August, the public review process will begin.

Joyce Parker-Bozylinski, a planning consultant for the project, said the documents will be "living and breathing documents" and prone to many changes before the project is actually developed.

Four components to the village are currently "in the pipeline," said Kamino. The developers, however, still need approval from the Agoura Hills Planning Commission and the Agoura Hills City Council.

One developer, Cornerstone, has reworked his plan several times and encountered the challenge of an archeological site that was found on his property, Parker-Bozylinski said.

Cornerstone has plans for an 85,000-square-foot, mixed office, retail and multi-family residential project.

According to the Agoura Village concept, commercial development will be "pushed together," and the parking lots reduced in size and scope. Development will be kept away from creeks and open space will be preserved, Parker-Bozylinski said.

Another developer, Symphony, has a plan for 75 dwellings and 118,000 square feet of commercial property that combines office, retail and restaurants.

Dan Kuperberg, Agoura Hills council member and a member of the Agoura Village task force, said he wants the village to maintain a small town feel, but have regional bearing.

Kamino said that without the Agoura Village plan, the area might have sprouted auto dealerships, strip malls and gas stations.

Dennis Weber, Agoura Hills city council member, thinks the Agoura Village development is long overdue.

"While I certainly embrace the need for something very spectacular on that site, I personally think that (the development) has been way delayed," Weber said.

Mike Tuchman, owner of Roadside Lumber, said his biggest concern with the Agoura Village plan is traffic. But Tuchman said he looks forward to reviewing the project's environmental report.

So far, the city has spent $497,731 on the project, but in March, council members approved an ordinance that would recover the city's costs through a development fee.

Other Agoura Village task force members are Bill Koehler, an Agoura Hills planning commissioner; Rudy C'Dealva, an Agoura Hills resident, Jack Dwyer, a Westlake Village resident; Louise Rishoff from Fran Pavley's 41st Assembly District office, Stephen Rishoff, an Agoura Hills planning commissioner; and Theresa Tuchman from Roadside Lumber.