Local News in Brief : Initiative Drive for Ban on Condos in Thousand Oaks Fails

An initiative petition drive calling for a five-year moratorium on condominium and apartment construction in Thousand Oaks has failed with the passing of a Feb. 20 filing deadline, City Clerk Nancy A. Dillon said Wednesday.

The petition, circulated by a group of Lang Ranch homeowners opposed to a condominium project proposed for nearby land, was never submitted to city officials.

Supporters needed the signatures of 5,499, or 10%, of the city’s registered voters to place the initiative on the November ballot, Dillon said.

In addition to the ban, the petition urged the City Council and Planning Commission to conduct an expansive review of the Thousand Oaks general plan, the city’s overall blueprint for development, and to assess all zoning ordinances for their compatibility with the general plan.

Leaders of the petition drive could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

The campaign’s failure reflects public satisfaction in the council’s control over housing densities, Mayor Alex T. Fiore said.

“I think people in the community already recognize we have a growth-control measure that works,” Fiore said.

In 1980, Thousand Oaks voters adopted a slow-growth initiative that limits housing construction to 500 units a year. The ordinance exempts subsidized units for low-income residents.