Town center Public looks at plans for Agoura Village





Dense traffic and dwindling natural resources were just a few of the concerns expressed by the public as they submitted official comments on the proposed Agoura Village development in Agoura Hills.

The project on Agoura Road between Kanan and Cornell roads calls for a mix of retail, commercial and residential uses. The Agoura Hills Planning Commission recently discussed the 122-page plan, but took no action.

The Agoura Village Specific Plan was released for public review in September followed by an environmental impact report in November and a public hearing in December.

The city received 28 letters commenting on the development.

Allison Cook, a senior planner for the city, said that while the majority of the project’s negative effects could be mitigated, some problems could not, including the pollution caused by the construction and by the increased traffic.

Colleen Holmes, president of the Cornell Preservation Organization, told planning commissioners that while she believed that the overall project was “fabulous,” she wanted the village to maintain a rural feeling and include trail connections to the Santa Monica Mountains.

The 36-mile Zuma Ridge Trail, also known as Simi-tothe-Sea, crosses into the Agoura Village plan area and could allow for equestrian, hiking and pedestrian trails that connect to the mountain area, Holmes said.

Developer Ted Moore said he met with Holmes and is willing to connect his property into the network of trails.

Howard Littman, an Agoura Hills architect and land use attorney, said the 293 proposed residential units would be too many for the area.

“The (Agoura Village Specific Plan) does not make the straightforward disclosure that even using modest projections, the total build-out of the area could easily result in 50 percent more ‘building’ than would be allowed under the current zoning,” Littman said in his report.

He added that the residential square footage should be a “fixed maximum,” an amount that is not left to the imagination.

But Cook said there is “no reliable way” to estimate the square footage of the residential component, which is measured in units, not square feet.

The planning commission and the city council will review the Agoura Village plan and environmental impact report within the coming month.


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