Panel OKs 315-House Project in Oak Park : Development: Neighbors warn the Planning Commission about traffic and access to Jordan Ranch.

After five hours of testimony, the Ventura County Planning Commission on Thursday tentatively approved the final residential project for the unincorporated Oak Park area near Thousand Oaks.

The 315-unit development won unanimous backing despite some neighbors’ concerns that it would allow access to the controversial Jordan Ranch development.

The project, which would be built on 43 acres at the north end of Deerhill Road, was proposed by First City Properties Inc. of Beverly Hills.

The County Board of Supervisors will give the project final consideration on April 9.

Most of the 15 residents who testified before the commission said they feared that traffic generated by the development would affect nearby residents.

Other speakers said they are worried that the development would provide access to a controversial project proposed for the unincorporated Jordan Ranch property east of Oak Park.

One speaker wanted assurances from the developer that any Chumash Indian burial sites unearthed during construction would be reburied as close to the original site as possible.

If approved, the project of single-family residences would bring the total number of houses in the Oak Park community to 4,864--fewer than the 5,303 allowed by the county, the developer said. The lots will range from 4,500 to 8,400 square feet.

If Oak Park becomes a city it can set its own development standards for the area, planning officials said.

First City President Nicholas Pappas declined to give a timetable for construction and completion of the project, saying he will have more information if the project receives final approval.

Residents of Oak Park have been studying the possibility of incorporating as a city to block Simi Valley’s plan to annex the Jordan Ranch property, where entertainer Bob Hope plans to build a 750-house development with a Professional Golfers’ Assn. golf course.

Oak Park residents say they want to annex the property to gain control over the project.

County Planning Commissioner Susan Boecker had suggested that the project be redesigned, with a lot at the end of C Drive to block future access to the nearby Jordan Ranch property.

However the four other commissioners said they wanted to keep open the option of developing the access route.

Mary Wiesbrock, a spokeswoman for Save Open Space, a slow-growth organization, said her group does not oppose the project but strongly opposes any access to the Jordan Ranch property.

Wiesbrock also agreed with other residents who said they want the developer to install a gate at T Drive to limit traffic on that street to residents of the project.

Fire Marshal James Smith, citing safety considerations, said he would oppose installing a gate unless it can allow residents of the project to leave quickly.

The commission agreed to have planning officials meet with the developer and residents to design a gate system that would allow cars to leave on T Drive.

Kote Lotah, a self-described spokesman for the Chumash Indians, said the Oak Park area was once inhabited by Indians who sometimes buried their dead there.

He asked that the developer allow Indian representatives to rebury any unearthed remains as close to the original sites as possible. Lotah said the developer can build over burial sites as long as the developer tries not to disturb the remains.

Pappas told planning officials that he would abide by Lotah’s recommendations.