THOUSAND OAKS : 50 Residents Protest Archdiocese Plans

About 50 residents attending the Thousand Oaks Planning Commission meeting Monday protested a proposal by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles to build an apartment complex on a lot previously set aside for a church.

Residents of the Sunset Hills neighborhood said the proposed 24 apartments, grouped in one- and two-story buildings, would block the westerly view of the Santa Susana Mountains to motorists entering the neighborhood. The archdiocese’s proposed project would be built on a vacant lot at Sunset Hills Boulevard and California 23.

“It’s going to be an eyesore,” said Gene Davidson, a neighbor.

In addition, neighbors complained that the proposed density of the complex, with three- and four-bedroom apartments, would increase traffic congestion along Sunset Hills Boulevard, which is already used by commuters getting on and off the freeway.

The archdiocese purchased the property in 1981 and initially intended to build a church on the site, planning documents show. But church officials later decided that the 5.3-acre site was too small for a church and decided to build in Wood Ranch instead.

The archdiocese is seeking approval for the apartment complex to make the property more attractive to potential buyers, said Franklin Z. Greenspan, a consultant to the church. He said the church would probably sell the property rather than develop the apartment complex itself.

“To make it marketable,” Greenspan said, “something has to be approved on it.”