Supports Agoura Village

We thank The Acorn for supporting the Agoura Village Specific Plan. Let's not let a few misguided people use the courts to slow down this process, as it is so important to our city.

Here are some reasons why Agoura Village is so important:

It is designed to be a public realm that will have buildings that behave in a manner that contributes to pedestrian life, which is something that Agoura Hills desperately needs.

Pedestrian life means people will be driving less, which is better for the environment. Spending less time in the car is attractive to many people.

The plan calls for building up, which will allow residents to live above retail stores, providing affordable housing. It also gives the area a vibrant 24-hour presence. Building up is also a more efficient use of land--once again, better for the environment. It also does a better job of defining public space. One-story shops and offices, the suburban standard, fail to provide mixed uses and are a waste of valuable land.

If done well, Agoura Village can set an example of a new way of town planning, which is based upon old traditional ways, for the rest of the city as well as for others.

In a nutshell, the Agoura Village Specific Plan is an antidote to suburban sprawl, which is the most damaging form of building for the environment and the community.

For the people who are in the process of involving the courts to slow or even stop the plan, your time would be better spent helping to make sure the plan is not compromised in any way, because "sensitive development" equals suburban sprawl. David and Jennifer Lebowitz Agoura Hills