Agency OKs Calabasas Application for Cityhood : Incorporation: Despite the backing of a panel that oversees the creation of new cities, backers of the plan are cautious, citing two previous failures.

Calabasas inched closer to independence Wednesday when a panel of county officials approved the affluent suburb’s application for cityhood.

But activists who have worked nearly a decade to incorporate their community reacted with restraint, saying that they failed twice before and that their effort is still subject to approval by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and local voters.

“We don’t expect any problems from the supervisors, but we better take this a step at a time because of our experience,” said Bob Hill, president of the Calabasas Cityhood Committee.

Wednesday’s unanimous approval came from the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), which oversees the creation of new cities.

Hill said that LAFCO’s seven-member panel includes two county supervisors--Ed Edelman and Deane Dana--and that the supervisor representing Calabasas, Mike Antonovich, supports the cityhood drive, apparently guaranteeing three affirmative votes on the five-member Board of Supervisors.

A planning deputy for Antonovich, Dave Vannatta, Wednesday confirmed the supervisor’s support, saying, “They’ve been working with us, and he’s supportive of local control if that’s what the people want.”

But the possibility of appeals also gave cityhood proponents cause for caution Wednesday. Under incorporation rules, opponents have 30 days from LAFCO’s decision to file a “request for reconsideration,” or challenge.

Michi Takahashi, LAFCO’s executive assistant, said Wednesday, “We have heard there will be a request for reconsideration.” But she declined to identify the possible challenger and said no request had been received.

Hill said he had not heard about any such request. He also expressed some surprise, saying the cityhood committee had negotiated with all major landowners and developers in the community that “we feel could be a potential problem.”

The challenge could come from the owner “of a small piece of land that’s insignificant on the fringe,” Hill said.

LAFCO already excluded eight properties from the proposed city at the request of landowners, whittling the boundaries from 14 square miles to 11.

The new city would have about 27,000 residents and be bounded roughly by Las Virgenes Road and the city of Agoura Hills on the west, Topanga Canyon on the east, the Ventura Freeway on the north, and an undeveloped stretch of the Santa Monica Mountains on the south. It would contract with the county for services, including police and fire protection.

The city would grant easement rights to the county for the possible extension of Calabasas Road, a thoroughfare regional planners have tagged as crucial to relieving traffic along the Ventura Freeway corridor.

Under an agreement reached between the cityhood committee and the Public Works Department, the county would notify the city when it decides to extend the road. Joint public hearings on the matter would then be held. Although there are no immediate plans to lengthen Calabasas Road, a public works official has said long-range plans call for extending the road west about five miles to Las Virgenes Road.

Prior cityhood drives failed in 1981 and 1988 when LAFCO concluded that Calabasas lacked the tax base to support itself. This year’s analysis, however, found that new auto dealerships would pay enough taxes to create a budget surplus in the city’s first four years.