Agoura Village plan close to approval

Agoura Village, which has been nine years in the making, moved a step closer to becoming a unique town center for the city of Agoura Hills.

The Agoura Hills Planning Commission last month reviewed the Agoura Village Specific Plan and certified the development's environmental impact report. The panel recommended the city council approve the project following a May 24 public hearing at city hall.

Officials hope the 135-acre property near Agoura, Kanan and Cornell roads will become a thriving area that combines retail stores, commercial businesses, restaurants, entertainment and residential space-all in a pedestrian-friendly environment.

Planning Commission Chair Phil Ramuno said that while some residents voiced concern over the safety and efficiency of aq roundabout, or traffic circle, in the village, he was pleased that nobody expressed discontent about the overall project.

"The roundabout was the biggest problem," Ramuno said.

Agoura residents Chester Yabitsu, Ken Handler and David Artininian, who represented the Agoura Hills Commercial Center, said they were concerned about the safety of the roundabout and the traffic they create.

Ramuno said that he was worried about the traffic roundabout since he experienced them firsthand while living in the Boston area.

"They were just dysfunctional," Ramuno said. "Now, they actually work quite well. They end up solving problems rather than causing them."

Studies have shown that traffic accidents are reduced with the use of roundabouts and when accidents do occur they are less severe because fewer injuries occur at slower speeds.

"Traffic must slow down," Commissioner Curtis Zacuto said. "Roundabouts make everything safer. New concepts are scary to people."

Zacuto added that national studies compared the number of accidents that occur in traffic circles versus typical intersections. Roundabouts reduced accidents significantly, he said.

"I understand citizens' concern about the roundabout," Commissioner Illece Buckley-Weber said. "However, I lived in England for two years and once I learned how to use them, I found them efficient and a great traffic-calming device. I think we will need to educate the citizens of Agoura on how to properly approach and use the roundabout, but once we do, they will appreciate it."

What will

Agoura Village look like?

Zacuto said that there has been a "slight misconception" in the community about how the development will unfold. Rather than just one developer, several property owners will build retail, commercial and residential units under the plan's guidelines. The plan calls for "vertical mixed use," he said, which means that a retail store might be built on the first floor, with office space above and a residential loft on the third story.

The city wants the development to be "pedestrian friendly." Patrons will park their cars at designated lots and walk to restaurants, movie theaters and shops connected through walkways. Some people might even live above the stores they operate.

An equestrian center has previously been suggested since many mountain trails are being connected. One developer, Ted Moore, said that he was willing to connect his property with the trails.

Moore's property is on the southeast corner of Kanan and Agoura roads. He is considering building a mixed-use development, including a 10,000-square-foot office building, a 90,000-square-foot retail section and 118 residential stand-alone and loft units.

Another developer, Cornerstone, has plans to build a mixed use project of retail, offices and condominiums and apartments on the southeast corner of Agoura and Cornell roads.

A restaurant and reception hall is being planned by property owner Shirley Berman on the south side of Agoura Road, farther east on Cornell. What about Whizins

and the antique mall?

Whizins Center is located within the boundaries of the Agoura Village plan.

"It will remain as-is until the property owner decides to do anything," Zacuto said. "(The property is) really ripe for development at some point in time."

"This is not a development that the city is going to build or just one developer," Zacuto said. "It is a plan for the city to have a walkable downtown area." The design elements will fit within the village idea, he said.

"I believe that Agoura Village will be a highlight of our community and (I) am anxious to see it unfold," Buckley-Weber said.