Westlake hopes to drive reinvestment in biz park

Changes would permit mixed use



BUILD HERE—Map shows the target area north and east of the Westlake Four Seasons Hotel.

BUILD HERE—Map shows the target area north and east of the Westlake Four Seasons Hotel.

A decade-old plan to repurpose 200 acres of commercial and industrial land in the City of Westlake Village could clear a path for as many as 1,000 new apartments and condos.

Last week, city officials hosted a scoping meeting for the North Business Park Specific Plan to discuss the latest iteration of the land-use document.

The area bordered by Thousand Oaks Boulevard, Lindero Canyon Road and the 101 Freeway is currently occupied by a web of office buildings and industrial parks. But the city has been developing a plan to rezone the area for mixed commercial, retail and residential use—a first in Westlake Village.

Scott Wolfe, planning director for Westlake Village, said the zoning changes are meant to serve as incentive for existing owners to reinvest in their properties.

“(With) the Four Seasons, Dole headquarters, Oaks Christian and Calvary (Community Church), we have like half-abillion dollars’ worth of reinvestment in those properties,” Wolfe said.

“We knew there was going to be economic pressure to continue redevelopment in that area but the proposals we were getting were for things like high-rise buildings. We realized we were going to keep getting those requests until we did something to guide the development,” he said.

But even after 12 years of discussion, the North Business Park plan is still a long way from adoption. The purpose of the June 12 meeting was to solicit comments from public agencies and the general public ahead of an environmental impact report due out later this year.

Once the EIR is complete, the plan will still have to go through several committees and then to the City Council for final adoption, Wolfe said.

The planning director said he expects the proposal will face opposition from change-resistant residents and businesses, but hopes the public realizes that any of the proposed land-use changes will still be reviewed on a case-bycase basis.

“We’re not going to get involved in pushing property owners to redevelop, we’re just giving them an opportunity. If they’re interested, these are the things we’d like to see,” Wolfe said.

The planning director said the area is not being coveted as space for a new shopping center.

“The retail and commercial (zoning) in conjunction with residential might mean condos (with) a dry cleaner and print shop or a neighborhood convenience store in the complex,” Wolfe said.

“We’re not looking at a wholesale change to the fabric of what’s going on there, (except) the residential component. That just isn’t found there and it will be new to Westlake Village.”

If property owners decide to develop the area for homes, it would be the city’s first new housing construction since Sycamore Canyon Estates was completed in 2004.

California is currently in the throes of a housing shortage, and state lawmakers mandate that cities like Westlake Village have plans in place that allow for a certain amount of housing development, even if there’s no intention to follow through with the plan, Wolfe said.

The North Business Park Specific Plan—which projects room for over 1,000 multi-family residences— would more than satisfy Westlake’s housing requirement. The state calls for the city to plan for only additional 97 homes.

State law also requires that a percentage of new homes be set aside for low-income residents.

“Interestingly, 10 or 15 years ago, I’d say the majority of the city wouldn’t want to see anything akin to affordable housing here,” Wolfe said. “But we’re starting to hear an outcry from our residents saying, ‘Hey, our kids can’t afford to live here, we need to build something where our kids can live.’”

Created in 2006, the city’s north-side plan remains wholly conceptual. The layout had to be rearranged after a 2013 environmental impact report showed developments in the area would have created too much traffic for the surrounding roads to support.

The latest plan maps out two areas for mixed commercial and residential use: the business parks on Corsa Avenue and the area directly south of that, along Lindero Canyon Road.

Wolfe said the lack of progress toward completing the plan is mainly due to the city’s small staff—he’s one of only two city planners.

The city is accepting comments on the North Business Park plan until June 29. The public is invited to express what they believe should be included in the updated environmental impact report, which Wolfe hopes to be completed by October.

Once the plan is finalized, a new round of scrutiny will begin. And after that, the project will be begin.