THOUSAND OAKS : Council Opposes Child-Care Center

In an effort to fend off development in unincorporated open space, the Thousand Oaks City Council on Tuesday voted to send a strongly worded letter to the county opposing a proposed child-care center in the Tierra Rejada greenbelt.

Developers have applied to the county for a special permit to build a facility for up to 275 children, along with stables, hiking trails and a swimming pool, in the Tierra Rejada Valley, which lies between Moorpark, Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks.

County planners, who are responsible for making the final decision, asked all three cities to comment. Moorpark has already given the project a thumbs- down; Simi Valley has not yet voted.

Although the Thousand Oaks council voted unanimously against the project, some members said they regretted blocking a center that could potentially provide quality child care.

“Now we’re presented with the question: Do you want open space or child care? Those are the kind of things that can drive you crazy in government,” Councilman Frank Schillo said. “How can you be against a child-care facility? But putting a center in a field between three cities just doesn’t make sense. We want to be on the record as saying we don’t want it turned into a circus down there.”