Beauty Contested : State Officials Tell Concern Over Bid for Ventura Freeway Scenic Status

Thousand Oaks and two other Conejo Valley cities think that a 16-mile stretch of the Ventura Freeway is so pretty that it merits state recognition as a scenic highway.

But state road officials, considerably less impressed, believe that such a move would degrade scenic highway standards throughout California.

Proponents point to majestic views of the Santa Monica Mountains beside the busy freeway as it winds through Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village and Agoura Hills. They say scenic highway status would help the cities get rid of the few roadside eyesores that mar the vistas.

But state Department of Transportation officials fear that bestowing scenic highway honors on a road that runs past billboards, gas station signs, industrial parks and an auto mall would dilute the definition.

“The intent is to showcase California’s natural scenic beauty,” said Bill Koval, a Caltrans landscape architect who evaluated the road. “We feel it’s important to maintain a high level of standards for what we tell the public is an example of California’s natural scenic beauty.

“Where everything qualifies, nothing benefits.”

An advisory panel that reviews scenic highway nominations will weigh these arguments during a meeting later this month in Sacramento. The group is also considering a new designation--a scenic urban highway--that some road experts believe is more appropriate for the Ventura Freeway segment.

At its March 5 meeting, the Ventura County Transportation Commission, puzzled about how the state selects scenic highways, took no position on the proposal despite pleas from Thousand Oaks Councilman Frank Schillo, who serves on the commission.

Schillo said he doesn’t believe that the Ventura Freeway should be ignored just because nearby buildings sometimes block a motorist’s view of the mountains. In fact, Thousand Oaks is building a multistory civic center right next to the freeway.

If such projects are well-designed, there is no reason to exclude a highway that has buildings nearby, Schillo argued. “There are structures along rural roads, too,” he said. “There may be a barn that’s unsightly. That’s an obstruction, too.”

Since the program was founded in 1963, 57 California roads have been recognized as state scenic highways. They are marked by road signs featuring a poppy, the state flower.

Before a road is recognized, local officials must prepare a plan to protect and enhance the scenic beauty, usually by limiting development and barring billboards. The scenic highway designation gives local government more clout in applying for highway beautification grants.

Southern California’s scenic highways include California 33 through Los Padres National Forest north of Ojai, and California 2, also known as the Angeles Crest Highway, in the mountains north of La Canada Flintridge.

Although most of California’s scenic highways are rural roads with little development nearby, the definition has been stretched, said Laura B. Johnson, a Caltrans planner who works on the program. Some highways have also been honored for their engineering design or for their cultural or historic significance, she said.

Stretching the definition beyond picturesque qualities has caused problems, Johnson said.

“People, when they hear ‘scenic highways,’ expect a certain level of scenic experience,” she said. “We need to redefine our program and maybe have different levels of scenic highways.”

At its March 26 meeting, the Caltrans advisory panel will consider a proposal to halt any new scenic highway designations until the guidelines are revised. Such a freeze would further delay the Ventura Freeway application, which was first submitted in 1990 by the city of Agoura Hills.

The state advisory panel rejected Agoura Hills’ initial plan to honor just a five-mile stretch through that city. But panel members said they might give approval if neighboring cities joined in and vowed to protect a longer stretch of the freeway.

Thousand Oaks and Westlake Village, which were striving to beautify their freeway corridors, endorsed that idea.

David Anderson, Agoura Hills’ planning director, acknowledged that part of the freeway in his city is blemished by urban development.

But if the city gets its scenic highway designation, Agoura Hills can apply for grants to buy and remove billboards, put utility lines underground and install new freeway landscaping, Anderson said.

He hopes that state officials will approve the three cities’ request before imposing a freeze while a new “urban scenic highway” honor is created.

“We’d prefer to get the designation now,” Anderson said. “But we’re realists. If they would be more comfortable with a new designation, and we would be part of it, we would be willing to wait and assist in that effort.”