Supervisors OK Hillside Building Rules

Ventura County Supervisors Tuesday unanimously adopted a plan to protect the hillsides outside Thousand Oaks, despite opposition from landowners who say the rules are too restrictive.

The plan imposes a stricter grading standard than is now used in most of the county, restricting builders from removing more than 50 cubic yards--or the equivalent of five dump-truck loads--of dirt without a special permit from the county.

But the board tossed out a controversial proposal to limit the height, architecture and color of buildings to match those used in neighboring Thousand Oaks, which favors earth tones.

Drafted with the help of Thousand Oaks city planners, the grading requirement is at the center of the plan that establishes a zone to protect the hills south of the city.

The restrictions have upset the hillside community of Ventu Park, which for years has resisted annexation by the city.

Supervisor Maria VanderKolk, who campaigned for office as an environmentalist, said she felt that the plan would preserve the hills that give the Conejo Valley its rural character.

“One of the goals of the . . . plan is to keep that area special and unique,” she said. But landowners “will be able to develop their property. It simply means you have to work with staff to protect its resources.”

However, 17 of the 24 people who addressed the board asked for the plan’s rejection, saying it would force them to complete expensive environmental reports for minor home improvements.

“I couldn’t put a driveway in (without moving) 50 cubic yards,” said Jackie Croom, who owns three acres of hillside property in Ventu Park.

Tina L. Rasnow, a Ventu Park attorney whose family owns 200 acres of ridgeline property, said she planned to file a lawsuit against the county to prevent the plan from being enforced.

“It’s not over,” she said.

Rasnow has already filed an application with the Ventura County Local Agency Formation Commission to remove the 402 acres that make up Ventu Park from Thousand Oaks’ sphere of influence, which allows the city to advise the county on neighboring developments.

Her application was filed on behalf of her family and other landowners in Ventu Park. Because of Ventu Park’s rural nature, she argues, it is more like Lake Sherwood or Hidden Valley.

A sphere of influence is an area the county designates for future urban development. A hearing on Rasnow’s request is tentatively scheduled for May, she said.

Many of the homes in Ventu Park were built before Thousand Oaks incorporated, and they defy some of the architectural standards that have been set in the city.

Thousand Oaks has sought to regulate development in the hillsides outside city boundaries since 1984, when a developer graded a hill in an area known as Kelly Estates.

In approving the plan, the board made significant concessions to vocal critics.

Initially, the plan included a requirement that landowners agree to annexation by Thousand Oaks whenever requesting a special permit, such as to erect an antenna or to operate a day-care facility.

At the request of Ventu Park residents, it deleted that requirement for all but the largest of developments, such as a major housing tract or subdivision of property.

Thousand Oaks Councilwoman Judy Lazar repeatedly assured the board that the plan was not intended to transform Ventu Park.

“We have no intention of trying to annex areas outside of Thousand Oaks,” she said. “They have a neighborhood quality of their own, and we have no desire to change that.”