Thousand Oaks : Council to Reconsider 94-Home Plan Approval

The Thousand Oaks City Council has agreed to reconsider a developer’s proposal to build 94 homes on a Newbury Park parcel that contains some wetlands.

The city Planning Commission last week approved the project on a 3-1 vote, arguing that developer Raznick & Sons of Woodland Hills had complied with city planning regulations and had a right to develop the property.

But more than 70 Newbury Park residents showed up at Tuesday’s City Council meeting to request an appeal of the Planning Commission’s decision. Local activist Ricki Mickelsen, who has vigorously fought the development, presented a petition with 599 signatures urging the council to reconsider the commission’s approval.

After only a brief discussion, the council unanimously agreed to reconsider the project at a public hearing tentatively scheduled for mid-July.

The vice president of Raznick developers, Ellen Michiel, offered the lone objection to a second hearing.

“We have worked for going on eight years to develop this property,” Michiel said. “We believe the Thousand Oaks Planning Commission made a good decision.”

In objecting to the project, neighbors have complained about heavy truck traffic--as many as 200 trips a day for 18 days--during pre-construction grading. They have also expressed concern about the project’s density and possible effect on nearby wetlands.