Unhappy with housing outcome


After 10 months of both Oak Park and Agoura Hills residents advocating for the Agoura Hills City Council to remove the three shopping centers located near and at the corners of Kanan and Thousand Oaks Boulevard from its Affordable Housing Overlay, on Aug. 10, the council voted 4-1 to keep these on the list of the original 20 locations submitted to the state.

Further, they also approved up-zoning that increased housing density for these locations, which translates to increased daily traffic and greater risks for emergency evacuations from Oak Park when the next wildfire occurs.

Advocates contend that these three locations are not needed to meet the state’s affordable housing mandate and have offered alternatives for consideration.

However, four of the five council members chose to ignore and stay the course. Sadly, this was predictable, considering the dress rehearsals from the most recent planning commission hearing and prior city council meetings.

Much gratitude to Mary Wiesbrock and all who worked tirelessly to research and present alternatives, raise awareness via social media, getting petition signatures, submitting letters, attending city council meetings and speaking up.

While it did not change the outcome, it made a difference in raising much needed awareness. Fewer residents are in the dark as it is clear the city’s communication plans and methods, including city council meetings, public hearings, Acorn articles, etc., perhaps were not that effective.

Finally, thank you to Mayor Pro Tem Chris Anstead, who listened, weighed all the facts and information and believes more work can and should be done to identify alternatives, and had the courage to not be swayed by his fellow council members. His “no” vote did make a difference to the residents of Oak Park and

Agoura Hills.
Michelle Santucci
Oak Park