THOUSAND OAKS : Hearing on 3-Story Shopping Center Set

The Thousand Oaks City Council is scheduled Tuesday to review the Planning Commission’s unanimous decision to reject a three-story shopping center because of height and traffic concerns.

Council members have final say over the 245,000-square-foot project proposed by Haseko/Lincoln-Scardino Associates on 10.6 acres near Westlake and Thousand Oaks boulevards just north of the Ventura Freeway.

Planning commissioners turned down the development Jan. 30 after an eight-hour public hearing that lasted into the early morning. After hearing testimony from nearby residents and others, some commissioners concluded that the project was too tall and too dense for the site.

Portions of the massive development would exceed the city’s 35-foot height limit, creating “a potentially adverse effect” of blocking views of surrounding ridges, according to a draft environmental report released last year.

Under the plan, the center would include a Mervyn’s department store and small retail shops.

Although planning commissioners liked the architectural plans, the shopping center was considered unsuitable for the area, Commissioner Marilyn Carpenter said. Commissioners also voted against the center partly because of traffic concerns, she said.

If built, the development would sit on one of the most congested corners of Thousand Oaks, close to a busy freeway intersection. Developers had offered to finance improvements to the nearby freeway on-ramp and off-ramp.

Tuesday’s discussion before the council has been limited to three hours beginning at 8 p.m., Mayor Frank Schillo said.

Schillo has already received at least 20 calls about the proposed project, some from residents complaining about the volume of traffic it would generate.