THOUSAND OAKS : Archdiocese Taking Plan to City Council

A month after a proposed 24-unit townhouse complex was turned down by the Thousand Oaks Planning Commission, representatives of the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles will take their plan to the City Council.

But residents from the Sunset Hills neighborhood will protest the complex when the council reviews it Tuesday.

Gary Yomantas, president of the East Hills Homeowners Assn., said residents object to the plan to build eight two-story buildings on 5.3 acres at the corner of Sunset Hills Boulevard and the Moorpark Freeway.

Opponents say they will come out against the proposal “stronger than we have before,” Yomantas said Friday. “We have a real serious concern about the townhouse development.”

Franklin Z. Greenspan, a building consultant for the archdiocese, said the buildings will be 26 feet tall at their highest point.

“They’re well within the height limit that’s allowed in the zoning. It’s 35 feet,” Greenspan said.

Planning commissioners last month voted 4 to 1 to reject the archdiocese’s project. They said two-story buildings would block views of the mountains and the project would create traffic problems on Sunset Hills Boulevard.

A recommendation from the city’s planning staff suggests that the council uphold the decision and deny the project.

The council meets at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 2150 W. Hillcrest Drive.