New Raznick Plan Scales Back Housing Development : Thousand Oaks: City rejected original 92-home proposal as too dense. Zukowski remains concerned because of location near wetlands.

A developer whose proposal to build a 92-house tract in Newbury Park was narrowly rejected by the Thousand Oaks City Council as too dense plans to submit an application for a slightly revised project this week.

Raznick & Sons is proposing to scale back its project to 89 houses, allowing the developer to increase the size of lots adjacent to a wetland area to 6,500 square feet each, said Raznick Assistant Vice President Ellen Michiel. The houses would be built on a 44-acre site just west of Lynn and Reino roads.

“I believe we’re making every effort to meet the stated objectives of the City Council,” Michiel said. “I don’t know where else we can go.”

In September, the city rejected the 92-house development by a 3-2 vote after residents complained that the project was too dense and would not fit in with the neighborhood. Mayor Elois Zeanah and council members Jaime Zukowski and Frank Schillo voted against the proposal.

However, Schillo said during the public hearing that he could support the development if Raznick eliminated some homes.

Schillo said last week that the developer appears to have addressed his concerns. However, he said, “I still want to look at the proposal” before making a decision.

As part of its revised project, Raznick also wants to scratch plans to build an underground storm drain that would ease the flow of water through the wetland area and protect vital wildlife habitat from being swept away. Michiel said eliminating the drain would be necessary to make up for the financial loss of scaling back the housing project.

The firm’s plan must be approved by the Ventura County Flood Control District, Michiel said. Even if the project is approved without the storm drain, she said they would still be obligated to pick up the costs of replacing wildlife habitat that is washed away in the future.

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Despite the project’s reduction, Zukowski remains concerned about whether the city should allow large development or grading near wetland areas. She is also concerned about providing adequate drainage in an area that has been designated a flood plain.

“My concerns are about safety issues,” she said.

Michiel said the developer hopes to satisfy all the council’s questions when the newly designed project is reviewed. Nonetheless, she said the firm still expects to face some opposition from neighbors.

“We’ve tried to satisfy all of the neighbors concerns,” she said. “But there are always people who don’t want any development.”

Meanwhile, the City Council tonight will consider Raznick’s requests to put the revised project on a fast track and reductions on some permit and processing fees. The fees the developer would have to pay add up to about $6,000.

Because there were only minor changes to the original project design, Michiel said, the new proposal would not require a lot of staff time and therefore should be less expensive to process.

Schillo said the request seems reasonable. But Zukowski said that reducing permit and processing fees is not standard practice and she would not support it.