Agoura doesn’t have to copycat

The recent city council election seemed to pit those who are envious of the vast amount of commerce in Calabasas and Westlake Village against those of us who wish Agoura to remain primarily residential with a “small town semi-rural” atmosphere.

I recently had the occasion to go to a camera store in Calabasas and it took me 20 minutes to get out of the parking lot. In my opinion, the reason for this is that Calabasas is grossly overdeveloped and has not left enough open space for a postage stamp.

During the Measure H (antiHome Depot) campaign in Agoura Hills, I expressed similar feelings and was answered by a letter writer from Westlake who glibly thanked me for all the tax revenues they were receiving as a result of my provincial attitude.

Last week while leaving a big box store in Westlake, it took me four green lights to clear the intersection of Lindero and Via Colinas. The reason for this is that although Lindero is already six lanes wide with a center median tantamount to a seventh lane, they are widening the road even further. In layman’s terms, this means that one of the main arteries through Westlake Village will soon be as wide, or wider than the 101 Freeway.

So that’s what they do with all that extra tax revenue. More taxes so they can add more lights and more lanes so they can build more commerce, which in turn requires they add yet more lights and more lanes.

My fondest wish is that Agoura’s tax revenues will be auspiciously allocated so we don’t require signs that say things like “no right turn between the hours of 7 and 9 a.m. except for Saturdays and Sundays, notwithstanding Presidents Day and days that end in Y.”

I for one am glad that for the time being we have a city council that seems to respect the desire of most of Agoura’s residents to remain a peaceful, residential place where the worst case scenario for shoppers is that they get into their cars and drive three minutes in either direction. Larry Brown Agoura Hills