East County Issue / Building Guidelines...

Harman Rasnow, Longtime Ventu Park resident

I think the answer should be pretty obvious. The planning commissioners were fairly intent upon approving the Thousand Oaks area plan amendment until they got a look at the area and had a chance to hear what some of the people here had to say. Then, they backed away from it. I feel that the supervisors should consider the fact that it wasn’t an impulsive action on their part. Almost all of them indicated they are basically for the idea of a plan amendment, they just couldn’t get themselves to accept the implementation of it. There’s a moral issue there besides whether the plan is good, bad or indifferent. The supervisors should address themselves to that, too. If they learn as much about this issue as the commissioners did, they would probably come up with the same conclusion. The Ventu Park area is so much different than the Thousand Oaks area that trying to combine the two radically different lifestyles can only lead to problems.

Bob Lewis, Mayor, Thousand Oaks

The Thousand Oaks City Council at its public hearing Dec. 17 decided to request the Board of Supervisors to delay their decision so that we can hold a study session, which we plan to do in January. The comments I’ve heard from other council members is that nobody is interested in forcing them to annex into the city. We’re looking for conformity on significant issues, such as the ridgeline policy and oak tree policy, so there is some compatibility in development that is within the sphere of influence. We don’t want to force someone to annex because they are re-roofing their home. I’m not sure that’s what the area plan does. I haven’t even read it or had a report from staff as to what it does. The second step may be to form an ad hoc committee with citizen participation, so we ensure that we hear their concerns. I have an absolute opinion that, in concept, the plan is good. We want to hold a study session so we can provide our views to the Board of Supervisors and they can act accordingly.

Maria VanderKolk, Ventura County supervisor

We’ve received about 300 letters in my office from people in the Ventu Park area and in the Casa Conejo area. I think there is a lot of misinformation about what the homeowners would be required to do if the Thousand Oaks area plan is passed. They’re concerned they wouldn’t be able to paint their houses the color they want or would have to pull a permit. The intent of the area plan is not to require homeowners in existing subdivisions to conform to all of the rules. The main intent was to ensure that the area surrounding Thousand Oaks has the same strict environmental rules, such as ridgeline protection and oak tree protection. The city was concerned that you could look across the street and see grading that wouldn’t be allowed in the city. I support the original concept of environmental protection. I would like to see the stricter guidelines, but whether or not all of these extraneous things will cause problems for the homeowners, I need to research further.

John Byrd, Developer

No, they shouldn’t do it. The people of Ventu Park and Kelly Road Estates purchased in this area to make sure they wouldn’t have to conform to the city of Thousand Oaks’ building standards. They wanted to be separate and maintain their unique environment. If the city wished to have control they could annex the land. But the city knows they don’t have the votes, so they’re trying to circumvent the due process allowed by the laws of annexation. This reflects back to 1984, when the City Council tried to get control of the Byrd development. They voted that they would not annex the property after the people said they didn’t want annexation. This new plan takes back that feeling of goodwill that the city purported in 1984. The city has a tendency to think that the outlying areas belong to the city and that they have the best idea of what to do with it, which is nothing. This plan in some instances renders land useless.

Sue Boecker, Ventura County planning commissioner

It’s not fair to apply urban standards to a rural area. It is crucial that the county cooperate with the city and the people who are affected. The city needs to find out which of those standards are the most important to them. The bottom line is that, if we’re talking about individual votes, the people in Newbury Park and Ventu Park are outvoted. I am for preserving the ridgeline. The reason I voted against the proposal to reject the rules was that I would have preferred staff to go back and revisit it. I didn’t want to throw out the baby with the bathwater. I really was not for the plan as it was written, but I wasn’t ready to take out this part and that part. I think there needs to be some sort of committee with Newbury Park and Ventu Park residents, including the county and the city. It is important these people have input. I didn’t feel people had enough air time.