The argument for gated communities can swing both ways
Some residents in Oak Park are suggesting their homes would be less prone to vandalism if neighborhoods were gated. Private vehicles and public parks have been the frequent target of vandalism during the past year and Oak Park residents are looking for ways to combat the problem.

The gate theory has merit. Indeed, communities with exclusive access carry an extra measure of protection, but in the case of Oak Park, a recent request that the Municipal Advisory Council approve gates for the upscale Regency and Chambord tracks fell on deaf ears.

The MAC, like the City Council in Agoura Hills, has said for years that gates are a disadvantage to a community, not an advantage. Neither Oak Park nor Agoura Hills has gated communities. Westlake Village and Calabasas do.

Oak Park officials have long believed gates serve to separate communities, not unite them. Ron Stark, a former MAC member who's been active in Oak Park since it was founded, said it was his opinion that gates created "a bunch of small communities that thought about themselves and their own problems."

The iron fences might be good for some communities that already have them, but putting Chambord and Regency behind gates would block access to important trailheads and would create challenges for landscaping and road maintenance. At its recent meeting, the Oak Park MAC objected to comments by the homeowners that they had a bigger investment than other people in the community and therefore deserved to have their homes gated. The selfish attitude wasn't received well.

In Calabasas, the exclusive new Oaks development failed to receive an elementary school because the multimillion dollar homes were built behind gates and school officials felt the campus wouldn't be easily accessible. Gates in Calabasas also have led to other complications. Last year, to comply with state transit laws regarding private property, the city eliminated gated communities from some of its public transportation routes.

To gate or not to gate? The fancy fences carry a certain cachet, but the snob appeal can be a turnoff. If a community doesn't have gates to begin with, let's not add them now.