New Calabasas development is way too dense




The Canyon Oaks project has been proposed for the east side of the intersection of Las Virgenes and Agoura Roads. We all know that site was where Luigi kept his sheep and goats for years and years.

The developer, The New Home Company, is proposing to build a four-story, 140-room hotel and up to 150 housing units on the site.

They tell us that the ever revenue hungry City of Calabasas is encouraging the hotel on the site for the sake of its tax income—a case of maximum revenue from a minimum footprint, prompting one member of the Calabasas Architectural Review Board to be strongly opposed to any hotel at that location at a recent meeting.

The proposed development will severely compromise the existing open space and wildlife corridors.

Sadly, the Canyon Oaks project will destroy the lower slopes of the canyon and a number of the oaks that are on the site.

The existing steep hillsides, a deep valley, an ancient landslide, the heritage oaks and one of the area’s only natural springs are some of the many natural wonders that explain why the land at that site has not previously been developed.

The project is far too dense for the geography of the site in spite of what the local zoning ordinances allow—it will have large homes on small plots and limited visitor parking.

For instance, the landfill escarpment, excavated from the adjacent hillsides and upon which the homes would be built, will face Las Virgenes Road and will be about 60 feet above street level. That, coupled with the approximately 50-foot height of the hotel, will create a veritable wall at the end of Agoura Road.

And then there is the strong probability of unstable landslide detritus looming over the homes after the project is completed.

The Calabasas General Plan has long stated that development must conform to the land rather than the land being altered to fit the development; previous city councils have respected that.

This project certainly does not meet that goal.

Carl Ehrlich

Calabasas



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