THOUSAND OAKS : Lang Ranch School Plans to Be Studied

Plans for a new elementary school within the Lang Ranch development in Thousand Oaks will be considered tonight by Conejo Valley school board members.

The school, to be built at Knightsbridge Avenue and Whitechapel Place, has been planned since 1986 to accommodate 600 students from the development.

The plans call for 52,000 square feet of floor space in a U-shaped configuration, with 21 self-contained classrooms and a central courtyard. Once district officials have decided on a construction date, the Los Angeles-based architectural firm of Flewelling & Moody will submit detailed plans for board approval.

Although the district closed three elementary schools in the early 1980s for lack of enrollment, officials said it is unlikely that students from the new housing tract could be sent to those campuses.

Two of the schools are being used for adult education and the third is rented to a private school.

“They are not close to Lang Ranch so we would have to transport the children,” said board member Bill Henry Jr. “It’ll be a high-density area and if our expectations are right, we’ll eventually need a school in that area.”

Exactly when the school will be built will be decided next spring, said Sarah Hart, assistant superintendent of business services.

“They’ll decide then whether to open it in a year or two years, based on how fast the houses are built, sold and occupied,” said Hart, adding that construction could begin no earlier than next summer, with occupancy in September, 1992.

Construction of the 2,257-unit Lang Ranch housing tract, including more than 1,500 apartments and condominiums, began early this year and will progress according to consumer demand, said David Green, managing partner of the Lang Ranch Co. of Westlake Village.

The company has agreed to donate nine acres for the school. The $4-million cost to build the school will be paid with developer fees, officials said.