Agoura Hills' new town center builds momentum

The Agoura Hills Planning Commission last week adopted the Agoura Village Specific Plan and also approved an updated environmental impact report for the commercial and residential development on Agoura Road.

Senior Planner Allison Cook said the Agoura Village plan is a document that provides a framework for developers who want to build in the 135-acre zone south of the 101 Freeway. The developers must still submit their individual applications to the city, go through planning commission meetings, and perform separate environmental, traffic, noise and other studies.

Cook said the city intends to protect sensitive plant and animal species in the area. The Lyons pentachaeta, a plant in the sunflower family that is on the state and federal endangered species list, and the Agoura Hills dudleya, a threatened succulent on the federal list, were discovered near the Agoura Village development site. A valley needlegrass grassland, a sensitive habitat, was also found.

The southwestern pond turtle and the bird species white-tailed kite—both considered sensitive wildlife—were identified on the site after the city was required to conduct further biological studies as a result of a lawsuit filed by Malibou Lakeside resident Mary Altmann.

While the Altmann case brought further attention to the ecological sensitivity of the area, no further mitigation measures were required by the court.

"We feel we have complied, complied again and probably a third time," City Attorney Craig Steele said,

Village overview

Erik Justessen of RRM Design, an architectural firm headquartered in San Luis Obispo, gave an overview of the Agoura Village development

The residential segment will offer homes, condominiums, apartments and affordable housing in a "downtown main street orientation," Justessen said.

He said central gathering plazas, bike paths and play areas are central to the village vision, and said plans are underway to enhance and protect the natural habitat surrounding two nearby creeks.

Collaboration between the retail, office and residential elements of the plan will create a "24/7 environment," Justessen said.

Agoura Village will provide "a sense of place" that marks the character of Agoura Hills, he said. The new urban design will include "outdoor rooms," patios and porches, as well as equestrian and hiking trails into the Santa Monica Mountains.

Some residents are worried

"It still feels like there's way too much residential in the plan," said Old Agoura resident Jess Thomas, who asked the planning commission to limit the number of Agoura Village housing units.

Alyse Lazar, an attorney for Save Open Space, had a list of complaints for commissioners to consider. She said a "serious technical error" has been made by the city in terms of notifying SOS. She said the notification problem was a violation of the California Environmental Quality Act.

Lazar also expressed concern about the availability of water when the development comes to fruition, and she also wants a better fire plan. She said the traffic roundabout planned for the KananRoad Agoura Road intersection will not allow enough room for emergency vehicles.

Fire and traffic issues, said Commissioner Stephen Rishoff, will be addressed project by project.

Planning Commission Chair John O'Meara said he would like to see the property remain as open space. "But it's just not going to happen," he said.

"Zoning is really the game, set and match" of the plan, Altmann told commissioners. She said the city should be looking at the developer proposals all together, not separately. Cook had explained earlier, however, that the Agoura Village plan was meant to be a guiding document only, not the approval for individual building projects.

In a 4-0 vote, the Planning Commission adopted five resolutions recommending approval of the plan by the Agoura Hills City Council at a future meeting.