State Denies Scenic Status for Ventura Freeway Area : Roads: Local officials had sought the designation since 1990. The Caltrans panel’s rejection is a first.

For civic boosters from Thousand Oaks to Calabasas, the Ventura Freeway is a refreshing, bucolic thoroughfare worthy of the highest honor--state designation as a scenic highway.

But Caltrans sees it otherwise.

Two field inspectors who drove the 21-mile freeway segment between Thousand Oaks and Calabasas five times on June 1 had this to say in a staff report: “This segment rated low visual quality since it had a high amount of development.”

And that was just for starters.

They took note of power lines, auto malls, drainage canals, billboard blight, pole signs, sound walls, office buildings, shopping centers and fast-food outlets. Using a scale of 1 to 5--in which 5 represented “outstanding vistas, flora or other features that afford pleasure to the highway traveler”--they gave most of the roadway a grade of 1 to 2.9 (low scenic value). No portion received the highest rating of 4.1 to 5 (high scenic value).

So on Friday, after four years of debate between city officials and the state, Caltrans’ Transportation Advisory Committee issued its first thumbs down ever on a request for scenic highway designation.

As much as it wanted to promote California’s roadways, the committee said, the Ventura Freeway is simply too built-up and blighted to earn a scenic highway designation.

“You’re looking at an eight-plus-lane highway going through a commercial establishment, with high-rises and everything,” committee member Kenneth B. Brown said in urging a no vote. “In 1963, it probably was a scenic roadway--but it certainly isn’t anymore.”

The committee said it prefers to reserve the California poppy-decorated scenic-highway signs for the state’s lesser-traveled byways. Up to 175,000 vehicles drive the Ventura Freeway in Calabasas daily; in Thousand Oaks, daily traffic volume drops to 140,000 vehicles, Caltrans spokesman Jim Drago said.

Business community members spoke in opposition to the designation, saying they feared it might lead to restrictions on private enterprise. Most said they suspected civic leaders would use scenic highway status to reduce the number of signs and billboards along the freeway, although officials said that was not necessarily the case.

“The scenic designation is for the purpose of removing signage,” said attorney Robert M. Aran. “I believe this is just another effort to use a state agency to help cities remove pole signs.”

Jerry Jackson of the Sign Users Council of California said he was representing small businesses along the Ventura Freeway corridor in protesting the cities’ request.

“Big, big, big tax dollars come off the freeway into the community,” Jackson said. “With so many cities having financial trouble today, how can someone propose more restrictions on business?”

The 6-5 vote in favor of denying the request dashed the hopes of local officials who sought the label since 1990, believing it would boost tourism, promote good planning and aid in controlling future sign construction. Mostly, they said, it would have helped ensure orderly economic growth in the four cities along the freeway corridor--Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village, Agoura Hills and Calabasas.

“It’s discouraging to me,” Calabasas Mayor Karyn Foley said of Friday’s decision. “It’s a constant battle between the economy and the environment, and no one seems willing to negotiate a settlement.”

Thousand Oaks Mayor Pro Tem Jaime Zukowski said the state panel erred in judging urban freeways with the same standards it applies to rural roadways.

“I think some of the committee members were focusing on the original criteria for scenic highways,” Zukowski said. “Those days are gone. There will be very few highways left in that kind of pristine condition.”

The ruling left some of the local officials who flew up to Sacramento to make their case feeling that they had been misled.

“They’ve been stringing us along,” said Fran Pavley, an Agoura Hills councilwoman. “It’s been real weird.” During most of her quest for the scenic designation--which dates back to securing original legislation in 1988--transportation committee members seemed to be on her side, she said.

Indeed, Friday’s no vote appeared to be a hard one for committee members to deliver. Several praised Pavley’s and others’ dedication to controlling urban blight along the freeway while encouraging economic development.

In casting their votes, committee members also directed Chairman Paul B. Albritton to come up with some other way to give recognition to the communities along the western Ventura Freeway.

“Keep doing the planning work you’re doing,” said committee member O. Warren Hilgren. “Because that’s what matters--not whether you have poppy signs.”