Dates set for town hall meetings on Westlake Lowe’s

Westlake Village city officials want to be sure residents understand how the proposed Lowe’s development will impact the city.

To that end, the city council announced the dates and locations for two town hall meetings that city staff will use to give residents unbiased information about the $45 million proposed development.

The first public meeting will be Wed., Jan. 4 at 7 p.m. at the First Neighborhood Community Center. The second town hall meeting is scheduled for Sat., Jan. 7 at 10 a.m. at Calvary Community Church. Both locations are in Westlake Village.

Mayor Mark Rutherford has said the meetings will help clear up any myths or misconceptions the public may have about the big box store to be built on Russell Ranch Road.

Residents will have nearly two months to study the development’s draft environmental impact, which is expected to be made public next week.

The report, originally due out in July, has been delayed several times due to changes in the development’s plans.

Once a draft of the report is complete, residents have 45 days to make comments on the report’s findings. The city is required by state law to respond to all comments in writing as part of the final report.

Known as the Town Center at Westlake Village, the project includes a 168,000-square-foot Lowe’s home improvement store with an attached 31,000-squarefoot garden center.

In addition to the Lowe’s store, Rotkin Real Estate Group has submitted plans to develop an additional 62,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space. The development will feature a 20,000-square-foot high-end car dealership.

For the past two months, representatives of Lowe’s have been sending out mailers to Westlake Village and Thousand Oaks residents to promote the proposed development. Attached to each mailer is a postcard that the recipient may return to Lowe’s to register their support for the development.

Charles Rotkin, president of Rotkin Real Estate, said he will make the results of the postal campaign public at the town hall meetings.

Earlier this summer, antiLowe’s mailers paid for by Jess Ruf, owner of the local Do-It Centers in Agoura Hills and Thousand Oaks, were sent out to all registered voters in Westlake Village.

City officials said they received over 800 postcards from residents who did not want the Lowe’s development.