In Calabasas, it's everything according to plan

Calabasas residents really don't seem to mind when neighbors remodel their homes, even if the improvements, such as adding a second story, change the aesthetics of the neighborhood.

A recent survey showed that 98 percent of the residents surveyed were satisfied with their existing Calabasas neighborhoods.

"I think our conclusion is that this council and the planning commission can really stand up and take a bow on this because I think (the survey) is indicating that (the city's) policy and guidelines and codes are really moving this city in a direction that is highly satisfactory to residents," said Maureen Tamuri, Calabasas community development director.

Tamuri said Calabasas is seeing the most applications for home remodels and additions in its history. Unfortunately, neighbors still complain sometimes that the addition to a home will block their view.

Last June the city polled the community to see how the majority of residents felt about the home additions.

"Our approach was basically to obtain a nonbiased opinion as opposed to looking at a small sample that just happens to show up at our (public) hearings," said Tom Bartlett, city planner.

The survey asked questions regarding people's tastes for the sizes of new and remodeled homes, the architectural quality of the homes and preferences for neighborhood character, backyard privacy and other issues.

The results of those surveyed showed the following:

85 percent were satisfied with recently remodeled homes in their area

83 percent felt that the architecture of recently remodeled homes has been excellent or good

98 percent felt that their home values would increase if someone remodeled a home in their neighborhood

67 percent felt that the character of their neighborhoods should vary from home to home

91 percent indicated satisfaction with their backyard privacy

84 percent indicated satisfaction with the city's zoning policy

The city intends to continue with its current planning strategies, but will work with the community to develop citywide guidelines that address a variety remodeling issues.

"What (the recent) survey tells you is that the majority of the people don't feel that you need a (separate) neighborhood overlay (zone) . . . and that what we ought to do is to continue our practice as we're currently doing, to look at each project singly," said Tony Coroalles, Calabasas city manager.