In a final attempt to gain support for the Calabasas Measure F development referendum on Nov. 8, the New Home Company, an Aliso Viejo builder, has proposed an alternate project consisting of 205 residential units and 150,000 square feet of commercial space on a Las Virgenes Road parcel where the contested Canyon Oaks construction is slated to go.
Measure F asks voters to say yes or no to the Canyon Oaks plan that calls for fewer homes (71) and a three-story hotel.
New Home’s larger project would still lie within the 16-acre valley where Agoura and Las Virgenes roads intersect, but it would be a much denser and more traffic-intensive plan than Canyon Oaks.
In June, the Calabasas City Council voted 3-2 in favor of Canyon Oaks.
Opponents say New Home is trying to scare voters into approving the project with the threat of a larger development.
Because Canyon Oaks required a zoning change and general plan amendment, opponents were allowed to circulate a petition and seek a vote of the people. A yes vote on Measure F approves the hotel and homes development. A no vote sends the builder back to the drawing board.
New Home Company paid $12 million for the 77-acre property in west Calabasas in early 2013 and spent a reported $3.4 million on the Canyon Oaks plans.
“This is not gamesmanship,” said Rick Bianchi, New Home’s vice president and regional manager. “There is no way that the New Home Company can build a smaller plan than the 71 homes and the 70,000 square feet hotel. In the event that we are not successful on Nov. 8, this (larger plan is what) we will move forward with.”
The company’s larger alternative includes five apartment buildings, a restaurant, a parking structure, and 100,000 square feet of office space and 38,000 square feet of retail area. It also includes a town square with a playground.
Almost 80 percent of the property would remain open space, although hillsides would have to be altered to stabilize an ancient landslide.
But opponents are not persuaded.
“That’s a threat, that’s all that is,” said Mary Hubbard, president of the Malibu Canyon Homeowners Association.
Although the city’s general plan allows up to 180 housing units and 155,000 square feet of development at this site, no property owner is guaranteed maximum build-out.
“Of course the developer is going to propose the maximum he possibility can; it’s up to our officials to moderate that,” Hubbard said.
The property has geological and biological constraints, which warrant limited development, she said. Only a much smaller project with just a hotel or 19 estate homes would be appropriate for the parcel to preserve the hillsides and habitat.
“There are 100 reasons to say no to maximum build-out. That is why the property has remained vacant all this time. What we need is a City Council that doesn’t bow down to these developers and that knows how to negotiate,” Hubbard said.
Supporters of Canyon Oaks say a no vote on Measure F will likely do more harm than good as it could give the developer the green light to proceed with his larger plan.
The new project would not require a zoning change or general plan amendment and, therefore, could not be subject to a referendum like Measure F.
“It’s going to be the general plan vision,” City Manager Tony Coroalles said.
Prior to Canyon Oaks, New Home proposed a four-story hotel and more than 140 homes.
“We were asked to go back to the drawing board and we did,” Bianchi said.
“This time if we’re not successful with Measure F, we will go with the general plan. A yes vote on Measure F on Nov. 8 will result in less traffic and less environment impact than the project that was just submitted,” the developer said.
Residents have known from the beginning that the Canyon Oaks site, which is the city’s last good commercial land available, would be developed.
“The struggle here is finding a middle ground,” Mayor James Bozajian said.
This is not the first time that a developer on the west side has two applications on file with the city for the same site.
When Richard Weintraub’s hotel project next to the 101 Freeway at Las Virgenes Road faced opposition earlier this year, the Malibu-based developer hedged his options and gave the city plans to build a self-storage facility instead.
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