Agoura Village opponents circle the wagons

At the public hearing of the city planning commission on April 20, the final environmental report and specific plan for Agoura Village were presented by the city staff to consider their adoption and certification. There are at least two major issues the report does not take into serious consideration: the traffic on Kanan Road and the proposed high residential units.

The issue is the proposed traffic circle (roundabout) at the current intersection of Kanan and Agoura roads. It is a known fact that Kanan Road is the single major county arterial thoroughfare between PCH and the 101 Freeway in this area. Yet the city insists on intentionally placing a "significant landmark" for the Village right in the midst of the Kanan Road traffic.

At its public meeting on May 24, the city council should do the right thing and send the Agoura Village plan and environmental report back to staff for rework.

The concept of the village in itself is a good one, but it is not proper to have known controversial designs included in the early stages of the specific plan so that future developers will be required to implement them. The configuration of the Kanan and Agoura roads intersection should have pedestrian safety as the first priority, traffic safety as the second priority, efficient traffic flow as the third priority, all before satisfying the need for aesthetics. Chet Yabitsu Agoura