THOUSAND OAKS : Land Dispute Turned Over to Agency
A Mt. Clef Ridge property owner who wanted to sell his land to Thousand Oaks will have to petition the city’s open-space agency instead, the City Council decided Tuesday night.
James Kallas bought his land above the Cal Lutheran campus in 1961. He said he has never been able to build there, first because he couldn’t afford to, later because the city’s restrictive land-use policies prevented him.
Kallas said the city has been considering buying the land from him since last year--at a price considerably below what it’s worth--because officials recognized the hardship it had put him through.
The city’s finance committee, on which council members Andy Fox and Judy Lazar serve, recommended against purchasing the land last month. Tuesday night, committee members suggested that the issue be turned over to the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency for consideration.
Fox said it was more appropriate for the agency to buy the land anyway, since it would be used only as open space.
The council voted unanimously to follow the committee’s recommendation. But Councilwoman Elois Zeanah did so reluctantly, saying Kallas and his wife have suffered enough.
“I don’t feel we should put these property owners through another hoop,” Zeanah said.
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