THOUSAND OAKS : Planners Oppose Impact Report

The Thousand Oaks Planning Commission has recommended that the City Council reject an environmental impact report on a proposed amendment to the city’s General Plan, saying the report is incomplete.

The amendment, which affects the 1,862-acre Rancho Conejo development west of Lawrence Drive and Rancho Conejo Boulevard, cannot be approved unless the environmental report is certified. The City Council is scheduled to make a decision on the report April 2.

The report, prepared by city staff members, primarily addresses the environmental effects of setting aside 5 1/2 acres for the relocation of Conejo Valley High School, increasing industrial space in the area by 11 acres and reducing existing park, golf course and open space by 28 1/2 acres.

The former MGM Ranch site, owned by Shapell Industries, is slated for a development that includes 1,000 houses, 400 apartments, a 102-acre industrial park and 1,300 acres of park, golf course and open space. In May, 1989, the city agreed to let Shapell develop the site if the company would donate 5 1/2 acres on the property for the relocation of the high school, as well as slightly more than 8 1/2 acres for the school warehouse.

The new school would be located at the end of Rancho Conejo Boulevard, and the site has already been approved by the state.

The proposed changes to the project were not adequately addressed in the updated environmental report, said Planning Commissioner Forrest Frields.

The commission decided at its meeting Monday night that an archeological site important to the Chumash Indians that is targeted for destruction is inadequately addressed in the report, as are the downstream effects on wildlife, topological grading and stability, and geologic and hydrologic issues.