THOUSAND OAKS : City OKs Rezoning to Allow 4 Houses

Rejecting pleas to protect the region’s ridgelines, the Thousand Oaks City Council has agreed to rezone 16 hilly acres in Newbury Park to accommodate up to four single-family houses.

The steep, scrub-covered property, visible south of the Ventura Freeway between Rancho Conejo Boulevard and Ventu Park Road, actually lies in an unincorporated pocket outside the city’s jurisdiction.

But owners Larry and Grace Mosler have said they hope to annex their land to Thousand Oaks, provided the city rezones the property to allow more development than the one residence permitted under county rules.

The council’s action Tuesday night “pre-zones” the Mosler’s property for up to four residences, signaling an intention to take formal action once the land is incorporated and comes under city control.

Before the Moslers could begin building, they would have to bring a specific development plan before the council. The pre-zoning establishes the parameters for development but does not guarantee approval for any given blueprint.

The Moslers had requested a change to allow seven houses, and Larry Mosler said he was not happy with the four-house limit after Tuesday’s hearing. His attorney, Chuck Cohen, said he would consider taking the zone-change request to the county and scrapping plans for annexation to Thousand Oaks.

The Moslers’ property is situated on sharp slopes that normally would be protected by city ridgeline policy. But a majority of council members said they believed that several houses could be developed on an already graded flat pad without degrading the view.

Mayor Elois Zeanah and Councilwoman Jaime Zukowski dissented, arguing that the new zoning would destroy open space and undercut the city’s tough ridgeline-protection guidelines.