THOUSAND OAKS : Planners Reject Proposed Eatery

Thousand Oaks planning commissioners have rejected a property owner’s plans to build a takeout restaurant on a small lot on Thousand Oaks Boulevard after nearby business owners complained about potential traffic and parking problems.

After the commission’s unanimous vote Monday night, property owner Kurt Ralston said he had not decided whether to appeal the decision to the City Council or try to convince the commission to let him construct something different, perhaps an office building.

Ralston, a Sherman Oaks resident who bought the property at Moody Court and Thousand Oaks Boulevard about eight years ago, had hoped to develop an 810-square-foot eatery on the triangular lot. Contaminated soil from underground gas tanks has been found at the site and cleanup efforts on the site are under way.

However, nearby business and property owners complained that the restaurant would only add to the traffic problems of Moody Court and adjacent Long Court. They played a videotape that showed cars making U-turns in the middle of the block.

“This is probably one of the most disgraceful intersections we have in the city,” said Don Pruner, president of Pruner Health Services Inc., which has its headquarters on Moody Court.

Commissioner Marilyn Carpenter said she was almost hit twice while driving earlier that day in the area.

“The meshing of these roadways with Thousand Oaks Boulevard is a terribly enormous problem,” Carpenter said.