The vetting of Agoura Village

Malibou Lakeside resident Mary Altmann may not have been able to stop the development of a 135-acre site near Agoura and Kanan Roads in Agoura Hills, but her legal battle with the city has resulted in a more detailed look at how the proposed commercial and residential construction will impact the environment.

On June 5 the Agoura Hills planning commission held new hearings on the Agoura Village Specific Plan as the result of a 2007 California Superior Court ruling requiring additional biological studies at the site.

Altmann earlier had attempted to stop or reduce the scope of the development based on the demands of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

At the recent planning commission meeting, senior planner Allison Cook discussed the findings of a new Agoura Village draft environmental impact report. Cook said the report uncovered two sensitive species in the vicinity- the Southwestern pond turtle and the white tailed kite.

No protected plant species were discovered beyond what was identified in an earlier 2006 environmental report, but the endangered Lyon's pentachaeta and the threatened Agoura Hills dudleya- were found in previously unidentified locations of the development area. A sensitive habitat containing Valley needlegrass was discovered in a new zone as well.

Cook said the new findings didn't warrant a change in the type of impacts that were listed in the intital Agoura Village environmental report.

Sensitive species and habitats were found in designated open space, which is already protected. Cook said mitigation measures would protect the species found inside the development area.

Longtime resident Serena Friedman spoke to commissioners on behalf of 13 Cornell area homeowners. She claims several species of animals were not specified in the report, including a certain hawk and seveal varieties of frogs, sparrows and lizards.

"The impact on the two creeks is not complete enough to comply with CEQA law," Friedman said.

Friedman said the development would endanger the lives of Cornell residents during floods and create "hazardous and dangerous" consequences. Evacuation during fires would be hazardous "not just for humans, but for the animals we're trying to protect," she said.

Friedman listed several other issues that she believed had not been thoroughly vetted, including traffic jams and the possibility of "destroying" the scenic corridor and rural character of the area.

"I don't believe the mitigation measures will adequately take care of that," Friedman said.

Cook said the planning department will respond to Friedman's concerns in its final environmental impact report.

The amended environmental document will be distributed for a 45-day review later this month, Cook said. A second planning commission hearing will follow to discuss the possible approval of Agoura Village.

To view the development's environmental studies, visit www.ci.agoura-hills.ca.us.