MOORPARK : Stricter Hillside Limits Considered

The Moorpark Planning Commission is considering a proposed hillside development policy that would give the city stricter limitations against building on ridgelines than neighboring Thousand Oaks.

The commission began Monday hammering out a development policy to be recommended to the City Council, which will then decide whether to enact the policy into law.

Hillside restrictions are needed to protect scenic views of ridgelines and to reduce possible environmental problems, such as increased erosion that can result from development on steep hillsides, according to a city staff report.

William Phelps, the city’s interim director of community development, has recommended that the city formalize its unwritten policy of not allowing development on hillsides with slopes steeper than 20%. A 100% slope would be a perfectly vertical cliff.

Simi Valley has a similar restriction in its hillside development standards. But Thousand Oaks is more lenient because it doesn’t restrict development on hillsides with slopes less steep than 25%, said John Prescott, a principal planner for the city.

Moorpark’s proposed hillside development policy would also include restrictions on the amount of grading that would be allowed on hillsides, officials said.