New development planned for Kanan-Agoura intersection




Few open parcels remain for development in Agoura Hills. One of the last, at the southwest corner of Kanan and Agoura roads, is the site of a proposed project that would bring more retail stores and homes to the city.

The builder, Agoura Kanan Village LLC, hosted a digital community forum July 20 to share plans for the West Village development, a proposed mix of 39,000 square feet of commercial space and 78 residential units on a flat 7-acre site at the base of Ladyface Mountain.

The project would consist of five buildings for commercial use and four buildings for residents, including 11 low-income units.

The forum was led by Symphony Development, the project’s managing partner with offices in San Francisco and North Carolina. The purpose of the meeting was to inform neighboring property owners, businesses and interested community members about the proposed construction and to gather comments and concerns.

Symphony Development partner Ted Snyder told The Acorn after the meeting that he was pleased with the public’s reception to the project.

“I’m glad some of the community members were pleased with the design and achieving the ‘village’aspects laid out in the specific plan. That was good news,” Snyder said. “We’re cognizant of the traffic issues and the concerns with respect to the traffic congestion (at the intersection) but we feel that our project has the design and appropriate size and exits to not impact traffic.”

The proposal was originally for 200,000 square feet of commercial and retail use and up to 112 residences, but the developers felt that downsizing to less than 40,000 feet and 78 residences would be more appropriate for the area.

A big concern about the development is that it might block views of Agoura Hills’ signature landmark, Ladyface Mountain, from the street. When asked if the iconic landmark mountain would remain be visible once the West Village project is completed, Snyder said, “To the extent that you’re on the other side of Agoura Road, across the street I would say yes.

“The buildings are spread apart to respect the Ladyface mountain views and images.

“If you’re standing right next to a building you won’t be able to see through it, but if you’re driving by, the answer is yes.”

Phil Ramuno is a former member of the Agoura Hills Planning Commission who also worked on the Agoura Village development plan, the blueprint for new commercial real estate development along the city’s Agoura Road corridor. Ramuno said he was pleased by elements of the design, including its natural color scheme, and that the size of the project had been reduced.

“The problem I have with this project is one item: the way the three-story features are added. We debated for a long time about whether we should allow anything over 35 feet; then we realized a block of 35-foot buildings looks pretty boring.

“We thought some different elevations would be really nice, and you’ve done a lot of that, but two of the buildings are blocks of three stories, which we never envisioned.”

Ramuno said he would prefer to see buildings of varied heights instead of a block of three-story structures.

Snyder said the three-story buildings will enable construction of the 11 affordably priced apartment homes that are being planned.

It’s the first time that both sides of the prime intersection at Kanan and Agoura roads have been simultaneously pegged for development. Across the street from West Village on the southeast corner of the intersection is another mixed-use project known as The Ave (Agoura Village East).

Both projects lie within the city’s broader Agoura Village Specific Plan, a vision for homes, offices, stores and restaurants on a large swath of land fronting Agoura Road, just south of the 101 Freeway in Agoura Hills.